Wraiths and Hauntings
by Phaethon
Summary: Hey, little blackbird. I mumbled, my vision already blurring. It seems your family doesn't like me. Sequel to Smoke and Mirrors. STRONGLY T for violence, some language and implied sexual situations. RaexOC. Chapter 18. R&R please. FINISHED!
1. Graves and Shrouds

_**A/N: READ THIS FIRST! IT IS IMPORTANT!**_

_If you haven't read "Smoke and Mirrors", please do so. It'll make things so much easier.  
_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I own neither the Teen Titans, nor "The Incredibles". I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

"It is beautiful beyond words! It is a masterpiece! The highlight of my career! Oh, dear boy, you simply _have _to see it!" 

I grumbled and limped after the impossibly short woman as fast as I could. _How can a human being be so short, yet walk so fast?_

"I said to myself: Edna, this is a challenge! It must be bold! Daring! Classic! And then, I had a stroke of inspiration, unlike anything in the past! Oh, it rivals-nay, it surpasses!-the suits of the Parrs!"

She reached the door at the end of the corridor lined with superhero suits and with practiced movements she input her security code, lowered her glasses to permit a retina-scan and finally spoke slowly and clearly into a microphone.

"Edna Mode."

A whoosh next to me, a high-pitched whine, that brought back haunting memories. I jumped out of pure reflex as a very dangerous-looking gun descended from a trapdoor in the ceiling and aimed two water-cooled, glowing barrels at my head.

I looked at Mode, my knees feeling a bit weak.

She looked at me, then at the gun.

Silence.

She turned back to the microphone.

"…and guest." she added. The gun retracted back into the ceiling. I could do nothing but stare at her, my eyebrows still twitching. I didn't trust my voice.

She gave me a toothy grin.

"I always forget that part. Anyway, come, come!"

We entered a dark room, lit only by soft neon lights, whose job, apparently, was not to cast any light, just mysterious shadows. Lining the wall across the room was a long viewing window. Mode went straight for a chair in front of it, motioning me to join her.

"The first problem I had to tackle was your…disability." began Mode, nodding towards my left leg. A shot from an energy gun had crippled me for life; I was lucky to be able to walk with the aid of a staff. "Surprisingly, that was the easiest part. I made you a pair of boots and pants, lined with muscle wires. I believe that will help you overcome that limp. It hardly becomes a superhero…"

A crash-test dummy appeared in the other side of the window, suspended by cables. It wore what seemed to be a T-shirt, long pants and boots, all of them white.

"All of which is completely bulletproof, of course…" continued Mode, her voice that of a car salesman, demonstrating the extras of a _very_ expensive car. As if to prove her point, two machine guns shot out of the floor and delivered a couple of hundred rounds into the poor dummy. Within seconds, every part of it _not_ covered by clothes (including its _head_) was history. The rest of the body survived though. If you could call_that_ surviving.

"Ehh…Mrs. Mode?" I squeaked, horrified.

"Call me E, honey, call me E." she said carelessly. "This is not all, of course. That's just basic body-armor. SHROUD is so much more…!"

"_SHROUD?!?_" I yelped, panicking.

"Super Hero Ready OUtfit intended for Defense." explained Mode. "SHROUD, for short. Do you like the name?"

"_Well…_you bury people in shrouds." I grumbled.

"Your name is _Wraith._" snapped Mode. "It fits. Now _shut up, _dear."

Another dummy appeared, this one wearing what appeared to be a long trench coat and a long scarf, which covered its mouth and lower nose, and descended down to its shoulders. _Not bad. But it's effing WHITE!_

"SHROUD." said Mode, proudly. "Especially tailored for you. A work of art."

"It's a trench coat." I said, unimpressed. "Cool, I admit, but still a trench coat. And it's_white_. I believe I asked for something in _black?_"

Mode stared, horrified and disdainful.

"Black? _BLACK?_Why does _everybody_ ask for black? It's so passé! It would look like a hobo-suit, darling! Only some 20th century relics like Batman wear _black_ nowadays. _Ghastly_ sense of fashion. _White_ is the future, dear."

I couldn't help but chuckle. _If Batman only heard…_

"Still…" I argued. "I'm_Wraith._ I work in _shadows_. You know? _Shadows…black. Black…shadows? _No?"

Mode sighed.

"OK. When I say 'Wraith', dear boy, what is the first thing that comes to mind?"

"A ghost…" I answered.

"What color is the sheet _over_ the ghost?"

Silence.

"…Gotcha." I replied. _White isn't that bad, after all…_

"SHROUD is actually made of _two_ layers. The inner is made of L-var, same as your shirt and Pants. It's a lighter and more pliable form of Kevlar. _Quite_ sufficient for resisting small-arms fire. The second layer…"

She paused for dramatic effect.

Silence.

Silence.

"…Yes? What is it?" I asked, a bit annoyed.

"My favorite." Mode grinned like the devil. "Pure adamantium."

My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"_ADAMANTIUM?!?" _I half-gasped, half-screamed. "Adamantium? That thing is priceless!"

"Yes…" Mode raised an eyebrow. "Your point being…?"

I spluttered indignantly.

"Listed, Mrs. Mode…"

"E, honey. I told you, call me _E…"_

I paused. There was an edgy tone in Mode's voice. It helped me get a grip.

"Listen…E…I admit I am not exactly _poor_, but nor am I a millionaire. I _know_I cannot afford that much adamantium…"

She laughed, a cackling laugh that summoned the image of an evil witch. A rather _short_ evil witch.

"Oh, but darling, I do not expect_you _to pay for this. This is a present, from Lady Shiva." she chuckled. "Isn't she a nice girl? Stylish. Probably the only person I know who still looks fashionable in black leather. You know that she is a cat person? Oh yes, yes, and I also heard…"

I wasn't listening. _Lady Shiva had paid for this?_ I was stunned. I never thought that she would like me that much. I decided there and then to get her something in return, as soon as I earned some cash.

"…which of course is utter nonsense. I never trust tabloids."

I focused.

"Huh? What? I'm sorry…E…I wasn't listening. Come again?"

She snorted, disdainful.

"Young people. Mind always wandering. Anyway, all this is not important. Let's get back to SHROUD."

"Yes…" I agreed. "There's just one question, before we proceed. From what I've heard, adamantium is really tough, right? So, how can you turn it into fabric? It would be like plate armor…"

She grinned her toothy grin.

"Ah…" she sighed. "It is true what they say. A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing. True, adamantium is 'tough' as you so succinctly put it. Practically indestructible, in fact. But only when electric current flows through it. I am not sure how it works, that concerns my technical department, but from what I gather, it has something to do with the material being polarized. Observe."

She hit a button in the arm of her chair and a couple of giant fans started blowing air on the suit. The trench coat flapped in the wind.

"Normal…" explained Mode.

She pushed another button. I gasped. The trench coat…_froze,_for lack of a better word. It was instantaneous. One moment its tails were flapping, as if caught in the wake of a jet plane and the next the whole suit was motionless, frozen in time, its texture having…changed. The coat was _shiny,_as if it had been coated with oil. It conjured the image of a metal…_carapace_. It was uncanny.

"…and polarized." said Mode and pushed a _really__big_ red button, with the meanest grin one could imagine.

A colossal explosion rocked the room. Smoke and flames obscured the view and I cried in alarm, certain that a multi-million-dollar suit had just gone up in smoke. Imagine my surprise when the dummy and the suit emerged unscathed. Saying that I was impressed would be an understatement.

"Shit…!" I gasped.

"Yeeeesss…" hissed Mode, her grin that of a madwoman. "Perfect. If my calculations are correct, SHROUD should withstand anything up to an anti-tank shell. Fireproof. Waterproof. Told you that it was a masterpiece…"

"Shit…!" I repeated. It was not the suit, but my eloquence that had gone up in smoke. I was in love.

"And that is not all…" sniggered Mode. "You haven't seen GRAVE yet…"

_That _jerked me back to reality.

"_GRAVE?!?_"

"Yeeeesss…" sniggered Mode. "I believe a 'Wraith' should be able to fly, don't you?"

"Yes, but…GRAVE?"

"GRAVitational Equalizer." she explained. "A simple…well, all right, _not that_ simple Anti-Gravity device. It cannot provide total weightlessness, but if you don't get fat, or too bulky, you should be able to make…oh I'd say twenty-foot jumps with ease. Handy in rooftop chases, I am told."

I was speechless. Anti-Gravity devices? Adamantium armor? _Talking 'bout going up in the world!_

"All this is fine…_E_… but…how do I control all this? And where's the power? An Anti-gravity device must need a lot of juice. A _hell_of a lot of juice…" I protested.

"GRAVE's and SHROUD's AI will be in the buckle of your belt. I recommend you wear it _inside_ SHROUD: trust me, you _don't_want it damaged. All the circuits are encased in adamantium, so they're reasonably safe, but one never knows. Better safe than sorry, eh?" she cackled. "Especially since your power generator is a miniature matter-antimatter fuser."

I gulped. This was _definitely_ out of my depth.

"'_AI'?_" I asked, just so I could say something. "Why do I need an AI? I guess only a trigger of some sort would be enough…"

"A trigger?" she asked incredulous. "Too slow, for what I had in mind. If SHROUD is to be of any use in combat, it must become polarized and un-polarized within fractions of a second. No manual trigger is that fast."

Good. No techno-gibberish there. I could follow her-_so far_.

"So…? What's the solution?" I asked.

"Obviously, I designed the AI to accept commands _directly from your mind._ Your powers, I believe…?"

Ah. _I knew this was too good to be true. There had to be a catch._

"I cannot influence machines with my powers, E." I cut her off. "Only minds. No matter how complex or life-like an AI is, if it is not alive, I cannot…"

"I know that, dear boy." Mode snorted, disdainfully. "Do you think me _that _stupid?"

Silence. It spoke volumes

"So…what did you do?" I said.

"I used bio-circuitry, of course." Mode shrugged. "The core CPU of the AI contains brain cells. _Human_ brain cells. You can influence _those,_ can't you?"

"Yes…" I admitted, edging away from her. _Human brain cells…? Dear God! _"Where did you find a donor?" I asked.

She raised a lock of her hair while grinning like a lunatic, revealing a small U-shaped scar, just above her ear. I jerked back with a gasp.

"Holy _shit!_" I exclaimed. "Is your middle name Frankenstein, or something?"

"How droll." she mumbled, reaching under her seat and pulling out a _very_ large briefcase. Tottering under its weight, she slammed it on my lap.

"Oooof!" I gasped. "What the…?"

"Your suit." she snapped. "Custom tailored for you. Now go! Fight evil! Save the world! Oh, and when you're done, I'm having tea everyday, at five 'o clock. Drop by anytime. I rather enjoyed our chat."

I opened the briefcase and looked inside. SHROUD looked back, innocently. One had to know about the molecule-thick adamantium layer to spot the elusive metallic sheen of the fabric.

"Just out of curiosity…" said Mode. "Do you have any plans, for the future? Any assignments?"

"I have some ideas." I replied closing the briefcase. "We'll see."

I mirrored Mode's toothy grin.

"Can I ask a favor, E?"


	2. A Lifetime of Thieving

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

A drop of sweat ran down my forehead and reached my eyebrow. It hesitated there for a second, uncertain, and finally dropped on my eye. I cursed inwardly, not wanting to risk a noise, paused for a moment and wiped it away.

_Back to business._

I channeled some more power into my sensory enhancement spell and pressed my ear on the safe door, slowly turning the lock. _Slowly._The tumblers sounded like distant thunder.

Click…Click…Click…_Tong!_

_Gotcha!_ 32-left, 4-right, 12-left and…?

Click…Click…Click…Click…Click…_Tong!_

5-right.

I resisted the temptation to open the safe door. Grenouille was a sly little bugger, and he was bound to have some _nasty_ booby-traps waiting. Instead, I pulled the door open just a bit, unsheathed one of my knives and ran the blade down the crack between the door and the safe's wall. Halfway down, I ran into some kind of resistance.

_Wire._

I grinned and unsheathed my second knife. Using the blades like scissors, I cut the wire and checked the crack once more. No more traps, from what I could discern.

_Moment of truth._

I pulled the door open, half expecting alarms to sound. When they didn't, I sighed a sigh of relief.

_Haven't lost my touch. _

I spotted the painting right away, rolled into a metal cylinder. I seethed. The guy called himself an art lover, yet he _rolled up an effing Da Vinci!_ The _idiocy_ of it all. To steal a painting, only to have it rolled up in a safe, where not even _you_ can enjoy it. What was he thinking? What was…?

My eyes were drawn to another metal cylinder, next to the painting. The wire I had cut led straight to it, and on its side was painted the ominous skull-and-crossbones. I nearly wolf-whistled. The guy meant _business!_

I got the painting and slid it in an inside pocket of SHROUD. I wanted it safe. I sheathed my knives and…

"Ne bougez plus!"

_Shit. Shit. Shit. Or, as the French would say, 'Merde!'_

"Tournez. Doucement! Les mains dans l'air!"

I got my hands up and rose, turning around slowly.

_A Veil? No, it'd take a few seconds to work and he's got a gun. A Paralyzer? No, you'll need to touch him for that. Wraith? Nope. Too much chanting involved._

A flashlight exploded into my eyes like a nova. The guard was an indistinct shadow behind it. He saw my not-so-casual attire and gasped.

"Qui etes-vous? Repondez!"

I took a deep breath and hoped that my French wouldn't fail me. I was fluent, but that was not the point. _One _slip of the tongue, just _one,_and the spell would be broken. _Better keep it simple, John. Very simple._

"**Baissez votre arme. Tout est bien." **My voice carried a strong hint of mesmerism. _Definitely not enough. Repeat, John. You'll have to repeat something, if you want to drill it into his mind. Come on! Drop the damn gun!_

"Qui…?"

"**Vous n'aurez pas besoin de votre arme. Baissez-la! Tout est bien." **I edged a bit closer, my hand reaching out. The guard trembled as two wills fought for the control of his body_You're not gonna need the gun, sport. Drop it. Give it to me. Everything's fine, look. We're friends, right? You wouldn't shoot a friend?_

"Je…non…ne bougez pas! Non…"

I was…almost…touching the barrel…Come _on,_come _on…_

"QU'EST-CE QUE CE PASSE ICI?" thundered a voice from the door.

_Merde._

I jumped forward, while the last tatters of my Mesmerism fell away, grabbed the guard's gun with my right hand and his neck with the left. While the Paralyzer shot up to his mind and knocked him out, I fired two shots, sending the huge man diving out of the doorframe for cover.

"A L'AIDE!" he screamed, and all hell broke loose, in the form of alarms, sirens and blinking red lights. _Great. _

I heard hurried footsteps from the other side of the door and the sharp _snap-snap_ of a machine gun arming. I fumbled in my pockets for something that would-hopefully-even the odds.

The guard, outside, was ready to jump out of cover and empty his ammo clip on me, when a small metal…thing, much resembling a starfish came flying out the door and landed just in front of his feet, sticking to the floor with a sound like a suction pad. He winced, surprised and leaned in to have a better look.

A small red light came on, right in the center of the star. It blinked.

"Putain de…" he gasped and ran.

The light blinked faster. An urgent beeping froze the blood of the huge guard captain, and he scurried away as well.

The red light blinked once more and was still. Three beeps were heard, in quick succession. The guards fell down, their hands clapped over their heads.

The sound that followed cannot be described. There is no word for it. A good approximation would be…:

_Pfuit!_

The guards opened their eyes, hesitantly.

_Where's the boom? _they thought. _There has to be a boom…_

The guard captain raised his head, cautiously. The small star was still there, the picture of innocence, perfectly dead. And a white-clad figure was racing towards the exit.

"Suckeeeers!" I chuckled as I flew down the mansion stairs, which seemed to be a step by step copy of the Titanic's grand staircase. I heard the bellow of rage of the guard captain, but didn't turn around. The main entrance was_there, _not fifty feet away. _Come on, come on…_

I burst through the window next to the entrance, in a shower of broken glass. I rolled and recovered, ran for a bit and dove for cover behind a sapling, as a machine gun stated firing. The slugs tore the bark off the tree.

_Great. Damn Louis XIV gardens! No cover whatsoever. _

I concentrated. Chanting time.

"_Gaia, Aerion, Menthos!_"

A familiar woozy sensation, the kind you get when you get out of a roller-coaster. I had the impression that reality _warped_ itself around me. My Wraith was there: a perfect copy of me. Just an Illusion, of course, but by far the most useful spell I had up my sleeve.

**(You're in trouble.) **it said. **(Why must I always clean up your mess?)**

"You enjoy this as much as I do." I replied, risking a peek at the mansion. A blast of machine-gun fire made me hurry back to cover.

**(Of course.) **it said. **(But there was no need for you to summon me. You can get out of this mess on your own.)**

"Oh, yes?" I grinned, high on adrenaline. "If you haven't noticed, I'm under fire. Can you take out that machine gun?"

**(Sure.) **it responded. **(But there is no **_**need**_** for me to. You are wearing a bullet-proof trench coat, remember?)**

I paused. He had a point. It was just that a lifetime of thieving's habits were not so easy to break. It was a _rule._ If somebody spots you, or, even worse, starts shooting at you, you_run_. The idea that I could now fight back, was quite novel.

"You always were the strategist." I huffed and reached into my pockets.

**(One of us is a thinker.)** Wraith winked. It had never done that before. Every time I summoned it, some of my personality rubbed off. It was getting disconcerting. It wasn't that he was getting more _real_than me. It's just _weirder_ than you think, talking to yourself. **(I can give you a diversion, if you want. 'Get more pieces on the board', sort of thing.)**

"Fine with me. Run over there, and make sure they see you."

It nodded and dashed off, running_fast. _A searchlight locked on to it, and two machine guns started firing, their bullets raising a trail of dust and gravel as they closed in to Wraith. I made my move.

I left the safety of the tree and dashed back towards the mansion. A guard spotted me, yelled something and started firing, but I was already close enough. I reached back and threw the small star over-arm. Then I fell on my knees, wrapped SHROUD around me and polarized it.

A small red light came on, right in the center of the star. It blinked.

"Merde!" gasped the guard and turned to run. The captain's huge hand landed on his shoulder and held him back.

"C'est pas dangereux." the captain chuckled. "C'est un jeu d'enfant."

The light blinked faster. The star beeped its urgent warning.

"Tirez! Mais tirez, parbleu!" the captain growled and fired his own gun. I heard the slug ricochet off SHROUD and grinned.

The red light blinked once more and was still. Three beeps were heard, in quick succession.

The captain laughed.

BOOOM!

The explosion was not big enough to kill anybody; but it did burn them badly and it did blast them of their feet. A part of the wall, were the star had stuck crumbled.

The captain groaned.

I stood up and grinned, wolf-like.

"Suckeers…" I chuckled.

* * *

The bike I had rented was not the GBM I rode back in the States, but it was fast and powerful.

I waited 'till I got safely to the Nice-to-Paris highway, before I called the Louvre, activating my hands-free headset.

They answered right away.

"_Allo_?"

"C'est moi. Wraith."

"_Ah! Monsieur le Fantome! Alors? Vell? Did you get ze painting?"_

I never understood these French people. I _know_ my accent isn't bad. I'm _good_in French. Why they insist on talking to me in English, especially since their accent is_atrocious_, I will never know. But I oblige them.

"Yes. I will be there shortly. Is my money ready?"

"_Vat do you mean? I tought superheros don't take argent…money…?"_

I gritted my teeth.

"You offer a two million euro reward to anyone who recovers your stolen Da Vinci." I snapped. "I have recovered it. I expect my money."

"_But of course, Monsieur Vraith." _and then, much quieter:_ 'Espece de…"_

"_What_ was that? Did you say something?"

"_Oh no, Monsieur Vraith. Rest assured. Your money vill be here."_

I terminated the call. _Two million euros. Not bad_. Just enough for what I had in mind.

* * *

_A/N: For those not familiar with the French language, here are some translations:_

"_Ne bougez plus!": Don't move!_

"_Tournez. Doucement! Les mains dans l'air!": Turn around! Slowly! Hands Up!_

"_Qui etes-vous? Repondez!": Who are you? Answer!_

"_Baissez votre arme. Tout est bien.": Lower your gun! Everything's fine!_

"_Vous n'aurez pas besoin de votre arme. Baissez-la! Tout est bien.":__ You won't need your gun. Lower it! Everything's fine!_

"_QU'EST-CE QUE CE PASSE ICI?": What's going on here?_

"_A L'AIDE!": Help!_

"_C'est pas dangereux. C'est un jeu d'enfant.": It's not dangerous. It's a child's toy_

"_Tirez! Mais tirez, parbleu!": Shoot! Shoot, damnit!_


	3. Birthday Girl

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

Jump City. 

I like the place. It's a city that is still growing, expanding 'round Jump City Bay like a living thing. It is _alive-_unlike some other cities I know. _Dead_ cities. Gotham springs to mind. Bludhaven. Metropolis too-in spite of what most people think, it has reached a point where the only way it can go is down. All the while, Jump City grows_. Matures. _

Titans' Tower.

Gad, I _hate_ the thing. It draws your eye like a magnet, but it still is an abomination. It spoils the view. It reminds me of a monolith, straight out of _2001: A Space Odyssey_.

The Teen Titans.

A group of super-powered teenagers. At best, I tolerate them-as long as they don't get in my way.

_Raven._

Ah. Tricky.

She's beautiful. She's a half-demon. She's a witch. She claims that, deep down, she's evil.

She's also a Titan, but nobody's perfect.

Walking _(Yes, WALKING! Man, it's good to be able to stretch my legs again! These pants are lifesavers! What did E say she used? Muscle wires…? Whatever.)_ on water was a new experience. GRAVE could make me light enough for water to support me, but it also made the world spin in very nasty ways. Using it was like being in free-fall: I had to constantly fight an urge to throw up. And the fact that the water surface was practically frictionless made it seem like I was walking in place.

I wasn't, of course. Titans' Tower seemed closer every minute. I reached the rocky shore of the island, avoided the still all-too-obvious laser-beams and started to_ climb. _The concrete didn't offer much of hand- or footholds, but there were drains, and antennae, and decorative ledges. I grumbled inwardly.

_Security still sucks big time. Gizmo would have a field day. Do they _ever_ learn?_

Still, I guess they could be excused-for today. It was a very special day, after all.

I reached the top and deactivated GRAVE. Weight returning was not pleasant. You get used to weightlessness from a point on. I promised myself not to overdo it._ You never know when you'll have to do without these fancy toys, John._

I checked my watch. Time was right. It was a special day, all right, but Raven would _never_ miss such a lovely sunset. She should be out in about…oh, _now._

Right on cue the door opened and she stepped out, her hood lowered. I smiled. She was looking a bit grumpy. Perhaps I could help her there.

I removed my Veiling spells-I couldn't have people spotting me walking on Jump City Bay-and cleared my throat. Then, I immediately jumped to the left. This was a good thing to do, since she immediately whirled 'round, cat-like, her power stabbing right where my head would have been. I half-grinned. _Still feisty._

Silence.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Silence.

"It _is _you, right?"

"Yep."

She seemed annoyed, for some reason.

"Do me a favor."

"Sure. Just ask."

"Remove that scarf, please. It's…just don't hide your face."

I shrugged and obliged her, pulling the scarf down, revealing my face. She smirked.

"You grew a beard."

"Yeah." I chuckled. "Like it?"

"No. Shave it off. It doesn't suit you. Makes you look stupid." she replied and I grinned. _Yep. It's Raven._

"You never called." she said. "You said we'd be in touch."

"Hey!" I protested. "How would I know when it would be the right time to call you? Would you like Bird Brain to find out? He'd tap your phones before you could say 'Watergate'! And I don't remember _you_ calling me either."

She scowled and crossed her arms.

"When you gave me that communicator, you said I should call you if I'm in trouble. I never was in trouble." she snapped, and I raised my hands placatingly.

"OK, OK." I admitted. "You're right. Still, I'm back now, right? And this time, I'm staying."

"You're staying…where?" she asked wryly.

"_Around._" I grinned in reply. _You didn't expect me to give you an address, did you, little blackbird?_

She sat on the rooftop ledge and I joined her. I could smell her scent again, and it was _good_ : candle and parchment and herbs, but hidden beneath all that a _hint_ of ash and sulfur.

"Soooo…" the last 'o' drew on and on. "Where 've you been?"

"West Coast." I replied. "Then France. Then I came back home."

"Is _this_ 'home'?" she asked, motioning around, encompassing the city, the bay and the Tower in one gesture.

_Why you sly, little…_I chuckled.

"I guess so." I answered. "For now. Until I get a better offer."

She pondered this for a while, saw that I was probably joking and changed the subject.

"What's with all the white?" she asked.

I got up, opened my arms wide and twirled around.

"This?" I asked. "My suit. Like it?"

"It's _white._" she said, smirking. "Shouldn't it be black? Or…?"

"_BLACK?_" I laughed and my voice took an extra note of pompous quoting. "Only 20th century relics wear black. _White_ is the future. You should consider it, little…_black_bird."

Her face became suddenly _very_ serious. I couldn't explain it.

"White? Not yet." she whispered. "Not _quite_ yet."

I shrugged and sat back next to her.

"So, what did you do in France?" she asked, recovering quickly, as if nothing had happened. I looked at her in an inquisitive way, but her eyes told me not to push it. I shrugged again.

"Business, mainly. And shopping, of course."

"_Shopping?_" she said, raising an eyebrow. "_You._ Shopping."

"Not for me." I said, my face expressionless. "You really thought I didn't know, didn't you? Why do you think I returned today, and not tomorrow?"

I snapped my fingers. The Veils I had cast on the two boxes dissolved, and pointy party hats appeared on both of our heads.

"Happy Birthday, Raven." I laughed.

Silence.

"_How?_" she asked. "How did you know?"

"I have my sources." I replied.

"Only the Titans know…" she said.

"Yes. Your point is…?"

She got up and paced the roof, thinking.

"It wasn't Robin. Nor Cyborg. They'd arrest you on sight."

"Nope. Wasn't them." I smiled.

"And I can't believe Starfire would…"

Her eyes narrowed.

"_I'll kill him._"

"Must you?" I asked, only half-joking. "It wasn't really his fault. It's _so_ easy to mesmerize him, after all…"

"That's no excuse." she hissed. "I'll send him off to another dimension!"

"Don't be too hard on him." I asked her, feeling guilty. "He really didn't want to tell me, you know. I had to mesmerize him _and_ bribe him to get him to spill the beans. I've never seen such stubbornness."

She paused her growling to raise a questioning eyebrow.

"Bribe him? What with…_oh no!_ It was _you! You _bought him that moped?"

I nodded. She rolled her eyes in despair and groaned. Then she sat back down, next to me.

"He must've told you that I _don't_ like parties. Especially not birthday parties…"

"Yes, he mentioned it." I admitted. "But he also said that, after that end-of-the-world nonsense, you opened up a bit. So I guessed that it wouldn't hurt, buying you some presents."

She scowled.

"Oh come_ on!_" I whined, picking up the two presents wrapped in blue gift wrapping. "You know you want to."

"_Fine!_" Suddenly my right hand was empty. She had grabbed the present and was ripping the paper off it, much like a predator rips its victim to pieces. I checked and was relieved to find that my hand was still attached to my arm.

The last bit of paper fell off, revealing dark red leather and golden bindings. She gasped, in shock.

"Blaise's _Corpus Supernaturale?_" she breathed.

"Yup."

"But…there are only two surviving copies!"

"Three, actually." I placed a hand on the cover off the book and opened it, revealing pages of parchment filled with the spidery handwriting of the long-dead druid. "You forget the original manuscript."

"_This…?_"

"Yup."

She ran her finger very gently across the spine of the book, as if she was afraid she might break it.

"Where did you find it?" she asked.

"One of the many St. Patrick cloisters in northern Ireland." I replied. "I had heard that this particular cloister had a very good library, containing many medieval manuscripts, and thought I'd try my luck. Of course I wasn't expecting _this…_"

Her head shot up, her eyes narrowed to suspicious slits.

"You didn't _steal_ this, did you?"

I gasped in mock horror.

"Raven! You insult me!" I whined, adopting a hurt expression. "I'm through with that kind of stuff! No, I bought it. In a way, they seemed quite relieved to get rid of a_pagan_ manuscript. It was in a sorry state, take my word for it. I had to get it treated and re-bound."

She handed the book back. "I can't accept this."

"What?"

"It belongs in a museum. This is_ priceless!_"

"Bull!" I snapped. "What use would it be, in a museum? _You_ can _read_ it and learn something from it."

"But…"

"No damn buts!" I insisted. "If I learn that this has somehow found its way to a museum, I'll make sure I steal it and return it to you. Get it?"

She shot a Glare of Death at me. I grinned.

"Now open the other one." I said, handing her the second present.

This time she removed the wrapping slowly and neatly, revealing a large, flat, white box, with a single capital 'E' on top. She opened the box…

And pulled out a deep blue cloak, the fabric smooth, shiny silk.

"Try it on." I prompted her. "Let's see if it fits you."

She stared, mesmerized, at the garment. Then she removed her own cloak and threw the new one over her shoulders. All down the right side, thin silver lines formed delicate floral patterns that gently flowed over her shoulder and up to her hood. It was breathtaking.

_Well done, E. God, she's beautiful!_

"No…" she said, as if waking up from a daydream. "…No…" She took the cloak off and rammed it back into the box. "…_No!_" I was baffled.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"What do you _think?_" she snapped. "This is _too much, _John. Have you lost your mind? What am I supposed to do with this thing?"

"Wear it." I replied. _Duh…_

"Oh _really?_" she sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She put on her old cloak with quick, jerky movements. "I hadn't thought of that. I wonder, though. When should I wear it? Perhaps on missions…Oh _yes,_that's it! A beautiful silken cloak is _exactly_ what I should wear when there's trouble!"

"In that case, why don't you wear it on a date?" I asked, as serious as possible.

"I don't _do…_oh." She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, but her mouth twitched. "Are you asking me out?"

"Yeah, I think I am." I replied, still _very _serious.

"It never occurred to you to _just ask,_ did it?" she asked, smirking slightly.

"God, no!" I joked, smiling. "I'd be _terrified!_ I wouldn't be able to utter a single word."

She tapped her foot impatiently.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked in her special no-nonsense voice.

"Is Friday afternoon OK?" I asked. She shrugged.

"As good as any other day, I guess. Why?"

"Well, they're having a Dracula tribute over in a cinema at Twelfth Street. It's gonna be_ 'Nosferatu', _one of the Christopher Lee films and the Coppola version. I thought you might like it. And before that we might go have a cup of tea, over at Okoro's. What do you think?"

She winced almost imperceptibly, in the mention of Okoro's name. I held up a hand placatingly.

"Hey! I promise. No Holy Water in your tea this time. Cross my heart."

She raised an eyebrow, let me simmer for a few seconds and finally nodded. I smiled, relieved.

"Do you want me to come and pick you up? How about six 'o clock?"

"Oh no!" she taunted, picking up her presents. "You'd use that monster bike of yours. It might stain the cloak. We don't want that, do we?"

She thought for a moment, cradling the book and cloak in her hands like babies. "I'll meet you at Okoro's." she decided. "Six 'o clock it is. _Don't_ be late."

And without a word of goodbye she strode to the roof door and phased through it. I balled a fist and punched the air.

_Booyah!_

"Oh, and, John?"

I leapt into the air with a yelp of surprise. Raven's head had appeared through the roof, rising from within a pool of darkness. She was smirking.

"Thanks for the presents."

* * *

_A/N__: Here we are then. I'll be updating a lot slower than I did with "Smoke and Mirrors". Chapters will be longer and they'll need some serious editing. Still, I guess I'll be able to update once a week. _

_A lot of Rae/JS in this chapter, but no action. Don't be impatient. Everything on its own time…_

_Wooop! The Trinity is back! Hey folks! Nice to see you again!_

_**VV:**__ Glad the French translations helped._

_**Xaleria:**__ Hey. What's up? Thanks a lot for reviewing. I hope this qualifies as "good work."_

_**Ghostalker:**__ Saludos, senor! Here's a new chapter for ya. Hope ya like it. _

_**Reaver:**__ (bows deeply) Thank you. What can I say? Thanks!_

_See ya later._

_-Phaethon, out._


	4. The Birds

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

"Half a million dollars. Do you find the offer tempting, Mr. Wraith?" 

I leaned closer to the screen, my face hidden under my scarf.

"Go on." I said. "Enlighten me."

The young woman on the other end of the line leaned back casually in her chair, toying with a strand of her brown hair. The resolution of the video feed was low, but I could tell that she was quite striking. A horrible suspicion started forming in the back of my mind.

"My name is Leslie Connors. I work for STAR labs."

"Hmm." I mused. "Genetics, bio-engineering and cybernetics, is that correct?"

She smiled. "Exactly. Although, lately, we have focused our research to the field of genetics."

"I see." I sighed. "Let me guess. Genetic experiment got horribly wrong? Some terrible creature loose inside your facilities. _Please _tell me it isn't so…"

She laughed. "No, Mr. Wraith. STAR labs' experiments do _not_ go…'horribly wrong'. Ever. And even if they did, we are quite capable of dealing with the situation ourselves. Our security is the best one could imagine…"

My suspicions were confirmed. She was a P.R. person. _Oh God. I hate dealing with them…_

"The problem is quite a different one, Mr. Wraith."

"Go on…" I urged her.

She fidgeted in her seat. Clearly, she was uncomfortable. Her job was not to announce _bad_ news.

"Our prototype genome synthesizer was stolen a week ago. Our security is baffled."

"So, they're not _that_ good, eh?" I couldn't help but say. "Sorry. What is a 'genome synthesizer'?"

"It's a device for building DNA chains from scratch." Connors explained. "One uses a computer to design a gene, or even a whole DNA chain, and then the synthesizer takes over, building it using nanobots. Then, the DNA is implanted inside a cell, usually a zygote, and…"

"It's a machine for playing God." I cut her off. "You design new life-forms, right?"

"Yes." she admitted. "But only for research purposes."

I snorted. _Not anymore, you don't!_

"So, would you like me to recover it?" I asked.

"Yes, please."

I pondered this for a moment. "You said your security was baffled. How's that?"

"Well, the synthesizer is locked, everyday, in a top-security vault. You need three codes to open it, one of which is computed randomly each time by a computer. But when we opened the vault, last Thursday…"

"…no synthesizer." I finished for her. "Right. It's an inside job, clear as daylight."

"No, it isn't." she countered. "We are certain of that. _Absolutely _certain. Don't ask."

"Any signs of a break-in?" I asked, puzzled. This was sounding more and more like a Sherlock Holmes novel.

"None. The synthesizer should still be there."

"How big is it?" I asked. She had to look the answer up in a piece of paper she had next to her. _Clearly _a P.R. person.

"Ten inches, by twelve inches, by fifteen inches. It weights sixty pounds."

"Pretty small."

"Yes."

I sighed. It was obvious.

"You got a teleporter there, Miss Connors."

Her face fell. "You suspect supervillain involvement?"

"Absolutely." I replied. "I know of two villains who could've pulled this one off: Kid Wykkid and Red-X. Sounds like the latter; industrial espionage is more like his style."

"Oh dear." She sounded like a housewife, standing over her broken-down washing machine.

"Yes." I agreed. "I'll see what I can find out. I'll call you in a few days. And, Miss Connors, do me a favor."

"Yes?"

"When I call back, I don't want to see your pretty face. I'd like to see the ugly face of your senior security officer. Understand?"

* * *

Raven is a caring person. 

She doesn't show it, true. But under that 'ice queen' façade, lies a girl-no, that is wrong, _a woman_-, who wouldn't dream of hurting another person. Except if that person bugs the hell out of her. Or annoys her. Or invades her privacy. Or…

…OK, I pass. But what I mean is that Raven would _never_ break a promise.

This is why I was _worried_ and _not_ annoyed when she stood me up.

The _'Tokugawa' _teahouse never enjoyed much clientele, but I had yet to enter Okoro-san's kitchen and not find him furiously pounding herbs and tea leaves, even when he only had to entertain a pair of customers. This time was no exception.

"Ah, John-san!" he mumbled absent-mindedly as I walked in. "Is she here yet?"

"No." I answered. "She's half an hour late now. And she's not answering her communicator. I wonder…"

"She'll be here, John-san. Don't worry." He poured the ground leaves into small bamboo tubes with quick, practiced movements and piled cups, tubes and assorted paraphernalia on a tray.

"Do you have a TV I could use?" I asked him, my voice carrying more than a hint of worry. "I mean if anything has happened, the reporters will have found out 'till now, won't they?"

"Of course, John-san." he replied, nodding towards a small 14-inch TV screen, buried under a pile of newspapers, in a corner of the room. "But please, keep the volume down. The walls _are _paper thin, after all."

He left the kitchen, balancing the heavy tray like an expert, and I turned the TV on, flipping through the channels.

"_Ve vill now cook some eggs du chef…"_

_Click_

"_Hasta la vista, Baby!"_

_Click_

"…_Lexcorp's stocks have gone up…"_

_Click_

"_Where the Titans are now engaging a villain. The fight has been going on for some time and neither the Titans nor the villain seem to be winning. On the spot is Carmen Hoff, who will now give us the latest news. Carmen, are you there?"_

I turned the volume just a bit up. Just a bit. _Shit. Where have they gotten themselves into this time?_

"_Yes, Jane, I'm here." _Carmen was wearing a helmet and bullet-proof vest, and the whole shot behind her was filled with smoke and flying debris. Whoever it was the Titans were fighting, he definitely could pack a punch.

"_This is Carmen Hoff, reporting from the Jump City Archaeology Museum, where the Teen Titans have been fighting the villain known as…" _she consulted a clipboard _"…Red-X for the last fifteen minutes or so. Sources report that Red-X was attempting to steal a valuable Mali figurine from the Museum."_

"_What about civilians in the area?" _asked Jane, an obviously fake worried look plastered on her face.

"_Well, Red-X is a well-known thief, but he rarely uses more than absolutely necessary violence. He has never harmed a civilian until now. Still, he frequently uses explosives, so the police are estimating damage to buildings at the least. In order to minimize the danger, the police have set up barricades…"_

I was no longer listening. I was already on my bike, pushing the engine to its limits.

* * *

The police _had_ barricaded every street close to the Museum, within a three-block radius. I could only curse, breaking hard, jumping off my bike and hitting the ground running. 

Fifteen energy rifles were raised and aimed at my head with an ominous _click-click_ and whine. JCPD used stun rifles, but even two stun shots, let alone fifteen, could cause serious harm. I had no intention of testing SHROUD's resistance to energy bolts. I stopped and raised my hands.

A sergeant left the barricade and walked up to me. I could barely discern his eyes under his visor, but his mouth curled into a sneer when he approached.

"Who're you?" he asked. "Some sort of Titan wannabe? Get lost, let the pros handle this."

"I'm gonna reach into my pocket." I growled. "I'm gonna show you some ID. OK?"

He shrugged. "Go ahead."

I pulled out my wallet and tossed it over to him, along with a small spell. His mind was open like…like something _very _open. It was pathetic, really. He opened the wallet and his eyes glazed over.

"I am Major Saunders, NSA." I barked. "Special Super-villain Counter Force. Do I qualify as a 'pro', sergeant?"

The cop pulled a salute that would bring a tear of pride in any drill sergeant's eye. He was slightly sweating already.

"Sir, yes sir! Sorry sir. I didn't know sir."

"It's OK, sergeant." I said, already moving. "Get back to work."

GRAVE kicked in, and my inner ear went haywire. I felt like throwing up, but held on. _Shit; I'll never get used to this. _

Street to first story; first story to roof; roof to next building. A series of jumps brought me to a high vantage point, from where I had a bird's-eye-view of the Museum gardens. Smoke and flying debris were hiding the fight, but I could still see flashes of green light erupt randomly through the cloud of smoke. The Titans were still fighting. I was not too late.

I brought GRAVE up to full power and jumped; down through the smoke, down, SHROUD billowing behind me like a small parachute, down, almost blind, down, right in the middle of the fight.

In _fact, _right on top of Cyborg.

"Ouch!"

"Hey! What the…?"

"Get off me!"

"Get your foot off my face!"

"As soon as you get that sonic blaster off mine!"

We somehow got disentangled from each other, and rolled apart, just in time to avoid a short hail of X-shuriken that came our way. Cyborg dove to one side, demonstrating surprising agility, while I raised my arm, polarized SHROUD and let the shuriken glance off the adamantium armor. _Thanks, E_

I checked the battlefield. Robin was out, hanging upside down from a tree, suspended by what seemed to be his own grapnel rope. Beast Boy was trading blows with X. Starfire and Rave were stuck in a blackened tree trunk, held there by what seemed to be a giant sticky red X. And Cyborg…

_Uh-oh…_

I turned and looked right down the glowing barrel of a sonic blaster.

_Oooops.._

"Who are you?" snapped Cyborg. "I know your voice."

I sighed and _slowly _lowered my scarf, revealing my face.

"Hello, Robocop."

"_Smith._" growled Cyborg. "Long time, no see."

"Missed me?"

"Like a f-ing cold. What are you up to this time? Working with X, are you?"

"No." I risked a look over at the fight. Beast Boy was getting his butt handed to him. "I'm _trying_ to help you."

He snorted.

"Yeah right. Pull the other one."

"Listen, Tin Man, don't believe me if you don't want to." I snapped. "The fact is that, if you want to keep me out of this, you'll have to stay there, focused, your blaster aimed at my face. And if your attention wavers, even for a moment, I'll move. And you _know _I am very hard to hit while moving. Can you do that?"

"I can do that."

"You can do that?" I sneered. "Won't you try to help your friends? They need you, I think."

"They'll be fine."

Beast Boy sailed over our heads, a look of stunned surprise on his gorilla face.

"Will they?" I laughed.

Cyborg glanced over at Red-X, who was striding towards the girls.

"Can I trust you?" he asked.

"Hell no!" I answered with a chuckle. "But you don't have much of a choice. If I'm to free Raven and Starfire, I'll need some cover fire."

Cyborg's sonic cannon turned and fired. Once…twice…and I was off, half-running, half-jumping, covering the distance in a flash.

I reached the struggling girls. I pulled out a knife to cut their bonds deactivating GRAVE as I did, and wavering a bit on the spot, re-acquiring a sense of direction. _The sky is up. The ground is down. Starfire's eyes are glowing green. Why are they…?_

I was blasted off my feet by Starfire's eye-lasers, flew a good five feet and landed hard on my back.

"Ouch." I moaned, rolling to my side and clutching my bruised chest, right where the beams had hit me. "Gad. Ouch. Ow."

"_Starfire!_" I heard Raven's trademark growl. "Don't _ever_ do that again!"

"But, friend Raven, this unknown person had a knife and was attempting to…"

"To _free _you!" I growled and crawled up to them, my blade slicing through whatever material the X was made of. Raven reached down and pulled me up, pressing her hand on my chest. Blue, healing energy shone 'round her fist and I felt the pain go away.

"Thanks." I coughed and straightened up. "Need help?"

"Not really, but you can join us, if you want." Raven replied and tried to wrap the tattered remains of what once was a cloak around her in a dignified way.

"I see." I said. "What's the situation?"

"He fights…weird." she replied. "X is a thief, not a fighter. He usually grabs and runs. This time…he fights. He could've run a dozen times now. He didn't. I don't get it."

"Well, why don't you use your powers to grab his suit, or something? Bind him?" I asked, sending a wave of fear towards X, who was dodging Cyborg's blows. The villain didn't flinch. I was baffled.

"Psychic dampeners." she answered. "Robin created that suit, and installed them so that I couldn't sense him. No psychic or magic powers work on X or his suit."

"Great…" I moaned. "Do you have some sort…?"

"Please…" a piping voice interrupted and I groaned. "…friend Raven, do you know this person? Is he a friend?"

Starfire flew circles around me, curiously poking at my coat, my hair and my arms. She was making me dizzy.

"Yes…" Raven answered. "I guess…you _could_ say he's a friend. Will you _stop_ that, Starfire?"

"A friend? Oh, _glorious_! Will you be my friend too?" The alien beamed her dazzling smile not two inches away from my face. I retreated, panicking.

"Sure…sure…just…"

"_Marvelous_!"

Death hug. Oh dear. It hurts just to think back to it. Starfire can hug like an angry mountain gorilla. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't speak, I couldn't _think…_

_Get her off, get her off, get her off…Air! Help!_

"_STARFIRE!"_ growled Raven and air returned in my lungs, in great, glorious gasps. _Thank you. Oh THANK you…_

"_When _are you going to remember?" raged Raven and Starfire backed away nervously. "NO hugs! Someday you're going to hurt somebody real bad…"

"It's OK…" I managed. "Don't…"

"Hem, _hem…_"

Red-X crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side, obviously amused. Behind him, Cyborg was down, sparks flying from every circuit in his body. X winked at Starfire.

"How come you never hug _me_ that way, cutie?" he joked and turned to me. "Who're you?"

"If I wanted you to know _that_, would I be wearing this scarf?" I asked and reached for my knives.

He chuckled. "True. How true. Doesn't matter." He cast a critical eye over SHROUD. "What's with all the white?"

"What's with all the black?" I countered, riled as hell.

"SHUT UP!" howled Raven next to me and we all jumped. "Both of you! _You!_" she growled and pointed at X, looking a lot like a Fury from an old fairy tale. "You ruined my _cloak!_"

For the first time I looked at her cloak. Even though it was burned and torn, there was no mistaking the silky fabric.

"The _cloak?!_" I half-gasped, half-growled. "You…_burned_ that cloak?"

"Calm down!" X backed off nervously. "One would think _you_ had bought the damn thing…"

Silence.

"No!" he said, a trace of laughter in his voice. "_Really?_ I don't believe it!"

"You'd better…" I growled and unsheathed both my blades.

"Please…" Starfire asked. "I don't understand. Friend Raven, did this strange person buy you clothes? But you do not allow _us_ to buy clothes for you! How…?"

"Starfire…" Raven hissed, her eyes boring holes into X. "…shut up!"

She motioned and blackness flowed from her hands to a nearby trashcan, the remains of a bench and a large rock. A flick of her wrist sent the objects flying towards Red-X, who did his best to dodge, jumping over the first, ducking so that the second flew over his head and blasting the third to bits with an explosive shuriken. He charged Raven, blades extending from his wrists and she took off, hovering a few feet off the ground, out of his reach.

As X sailed by, his wristblades hitting nothing but air, I spun around and slammed the hilt of a knife on the back of his head. He tripped with a moan and fell on all fours.

"Get up, skull-face." I taunted him. "I haven't started on you yet."

He got to his feet with a twirling acrobatic turn that left me speechless. His wristblades glowed bright red.

"Bring it on, snowflake." he countered and charged.

We were evenly matched. I used my powers to hone my reflexes to superhuman levels, cutting my reaction time to millionths of a second, but he was much better trained. Lady Shiva had tutored me in an extremely spartan martial art she had developed: the Viper style, all quick jabs and legwork, meant to disorient the opponent and trip him or cripple him within three moves at the most. It was a perfect style for fighting groups of enemies, but against a single opponent of X's caliber, my martial arts training was found severely lacking. I went after him with three-move flurries of blows and he dodged them all, dancing around me like an acrobat, his xynothium-enhanced blades occasionally meeting my amorphous steel ones with such force that sparks would fly.

We danced around each other for quite a while; both of us always on the move, black and white blurs of motion. Our weapons sliced the air so fast they seemed unreal; but the blades were real enough. Deadly enough.

We broke off, both panting heavily, eyes locked on each other, wary of the opponent's move. _He'll try for a leg swipe. Then he'll go for my head. Or he might try to flank me. What if…_

His eyes widened, looking at something behind me.

Starfire seemed to come out of nowhere. She whizzed past me, like a rocket, rammed X off his feet and slammed him down with enough force to rock the ground and raise a cloud of dust and debris. I winced. _Ouch. _

The alien was rising now, her fists alight with green energy, her green eyes scanning the cloud of dust. An X-shuriken whizzed out of the smoke and Starfire barely managed to avoid it. The dust settled, revealing Red-X. He was panting heavily, but he was still standing, squaring his shoulders defiantly.

_He's _still _fighting?!_

"She can't hold him for long." Raven said, landing beside me, a tone of urgency in her voice. "He's beaten her before. Go get Robin loose. He's the only one who might know how to beat this guy. He designed the suit after all."

"OK." I said reluctantly. "Be careful."

"_I_'m not the one who should be careful." she snapped and her eyes glowed a fierce white. Hundreds of small pebbles rose in the air, encased in her black aura.

"Azarath, Metrion, _Zinthos!_"

Every pebble screamed towards X like horizontal hail, knocking him off his feet, pummeling him to the ground. He flailed around madly, trying to ward off the stones that buzzed next to him like angry bees, but to no avail.

I _love_ to see Raven play, but I knew that she wouldn't be able to keep this up for long. A levitation spell of that complexity would drain her very quickly; so I ran over to Robin as fast as I could. He was hanging off a tree looking like a multi-colored fruit. A very foul-mouthed one at that.

"Get me down!" he growled as soon as I approached.

"OK, OK!" I sighed, exasperated. "Patience, damnit! _Hang on_ a second…"

He groaned.

"Cornier than Beast Boy's jokes." he protested. "Just cut the damn rope!"

"You think this is easy?" I growled, my blades slowly sawing through Robin's grapnel rope. "What is this thing made of, anyway? Titanium?"

"STARFIRE!" Robin's voice was full of fear and agony. I looked back towards the fight.

The alien whizzed through the air, cart wheeling out of control and knocked me off the tree. We hit the ground like two sacks of potatoes and I groaned at the thought of the bruises I would have tomorrow morning. I rolled to the side, moaning and saw that Starfire was unconscious. _Great. What about…?_

An explosion.

A scream of pain.

_Raven._

How X managed to knock through her defenses, I had no idea, yet there he was, standing triumphantly over her, his wristblades retracting into his gloves. I could see that she was unconscious and bleeding all down her legs and then X leaned down and touched her _there, _right on her wounds and I snapped.

…_Kill you…_

I got off the ground in an awkward, GRAVE-assisted running jump, rose high above X and then deactivated GRAVE and fell on him like a rock. He didn't see me coming.

"Ooof!"

We rolled and I recovered, while X was still trying to find out where the attack had come from. I scrabbled over to Raven and saw that she would probably be all right; the bleeding was stopping already, her powers healing her, even though she was unconscious.

"She'll be OK." came X's taunting voice from behind me. "I'm a thief, after all, not a murderer."

I whirled around, my knives leaving their sheaths…

And a small bomb exploded, not three feet form my face.

I rolled on the ground like a broken puppet.

_Ow. Hurts…Pain…It's been awhile, John._

"Stay down, Snowflake. Don't force my hand…"

I got up again, driven by pure hatred, since I was running low on adrenaline. _Kill you anyway…_

Another bomb. This time it exploded farther away, but the shockwave still lifted me off my feet.

_You're getting your ass kicked, John. Maybe a tactical retreat would be in order…?_

No.

Raven was here, not twenty feet away. I _couldn't_ run. _Fight. No other options._

_**I need a weapon**_

The thought was clear, unlike the hazy, pain-filled ones that were coursing through my mind, more instinct than though, really. It helped me snap back to reality and _search. _I had been _looking_ up till now. Not _searching._

_A rock? No. His body armor would protect him._

X moved closer, his hand reaching into his utility belt.

_A broken branch? No. Ditto. _

I needed time to think. My power raced to my mind, honing my reflexes and thought processes, pouring grease into the machinery of my brain.

_Broken glass? No. A trashcan? No. The bench, over there? No. _

He was very close now.

_No time! I need more time! _

More power coursed through my body; time was almost frozen now, yet still X came slowly closer and I had nothing to defend myself with.

A flock of birds rose from a rooftop behind X, scared by the explosions.

_Birds. _

_**Yes**_

It was more than a thought, more than a decision or a choice. It was a _certainty. _My weapon was _there, _no doubt about it. I only had to reach out like _this…_

My power exploded like a nova. On its own. It had never done that before. Tendrils of magic blasted from my body like ethereal rockets, each of them taking with it a part of my consciousness. I broke apart, my _self _fading, changing, becoming something…_else. _I was John Smith. I _mustn't_ forget!…_I was John Smith!...I was…John…I…was…_

_I was…_

_flock_

_Flying. Wings pumping. Air whistling. _Being. _Not as a creature, but as a whole. Individual birds…they were to me like a single fish is to the swarm, like a single cell is to a body. They…were…_

I am John Smith.

Yes.

That is my name.

_But the air is cool, the birds are hungry, the flock is flying, the wind is changing…_

Irrelevant. I am John Smith. Why am I here?

_The flock is restless. Explosions. _

I remember…

…X

…I'll kill you yet, you bastard.

_I looked down, through the eyes of the Flock, a thousand minds feeding my own with images, sounds, smells. I saw X bending over the white-clad figure that used to be my body. I saw him jump, surprised. _

You think I'm dead, skull-face? I'm not. I _know_ that I'm not. My power still comes from my body. I can feel it. It _feeds_ me. It keeps me going.

What if it runs dry?

I don't want to know.

_The flock descended._

_The black-clad figure looked up in alarm at the sound of the doves' screeching and cawing. No dove should make such a noise. It was…unnatural. _

_The first doves rammed into him like winged torpedoes. They knocked the wind off him, spun him around, went for his eyes, scratched his suit, flapped their wings like furies, all the time screeching their dreadful caw._

_X cried out, tried to reach into his utility belt for a weapon, any weapon, but only got a handful of feathers. _

_And still, more birds came. Their sheer weight forced the villain to his knees. Then he collapsed. His hand twitched, once, reaching for his belt buckle. And then he was gone, with a sigh, and a short blast of electric static, his teleportation device taking him out of harm's way. _

_Gone…It's over._

I am John Smith.

_The flock rose in the air like a cloud, the thrill of victory propelling it upwards like rocket fuel. It was a new experience for the doves. They had never _defeated_ somebody before. What a feeling! And all because of…_

I am John…

…_of the mind…? What mind…?_

I am…

_The new mind! What new mind…? There is no mind…Was there a mind?_

…I…

Blackness.

_The flock settled on a rooftop. The birds were hungry. The air was cool. The wind was changing.

* * *

_

_A/N: Here we go again! A HUGE chapter for my standards. I hope this satisfies any action-junkies out there :-)_

_This was a tribute to Hitchcock :-D_

_Thanks for the reviews, everyone! _

_**Ghostalker, **__(grins. Just grins.) _

_**Xaleria:**__ O.o Wow! A walking thesaurus…_

_**VV: **__There you go. Hope you like…_

_**Poison's Ivy: **__lol. Wow. I got a girl to hyperventilate. I'm a better writer than I think. ;-)_

_Next update in a week or so. Full schedule, people, sorry. It's gonna be a smaller chapter._


	5. Domination

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

_Beeep…Beeep…Beeep…_

Damn. I _hate _that noise.

It means somebody is hurt. And, usually, if you _know_ that somebody is hurt, but have no idea _who_ is hurt, then it's you.

_I'm hurt. OK. That much is established. Now what?_

I wasn't in a hospital. There was no _smell. _Hospitals have their own distinctive stench: antiseptics and antibiotics, disease and maybe some death. But there was no smell. Just sounds.

Sounds that dissolved into words.

"Is the villain-who-assisted-us going to be all right?"

"How should I know, Starfire? Every test says he _is _all right. No wounds worth mentioning. A few bruises. No concussion or brain damage. Yet he sleeps all the time. Does any of you have any idea why Raven refuses to read his mind?"

Silence.

"He'd _better _be all right, dude. I don't like beating up a defenseless guy."

"Beast Boy, calm down."

"_Calm down?_ Dude, did you see what he did? He made the birds attack X! We were picking up dead and injured doves for three hours! I _mean _it, once he wakes up, I'm gonna…"

My eyes snapped open, what was left of my power turning them into twin orbs of fire.

"_Care to finish that sentence?_" I growled and Beast Boy screamed and dove under the bed. Robin and Starfire jerked back, but recovered quickly enough.

Titans' Tower infirmary. Figures. I'd been here before, as a prisoner. _History repeats itself._

I tore the IVs from my arms and sat up, slinging my legs over the side of the bed. I immediately regretted it.

"_Oooooowwww!_" I moaned, clasping my head in my hands. "Hurts! It feels like my head is full of soup, sloshing around!"

"_Serves ya right…_" Beast Boy mumbled form under the bed.

"Please, lie down, Smith-villain-who-said-you-would-be-my-friend." piped Starfire and gently pushed me back onto the pillow. "You must be tired."

"No." I moaned. "Not tired. Hung over. Oooowwww!"

"Enough, Smith." Robin snapped. "Stop this nonsense. What is the meaning of this?"

"Of what?" I mumbled, closing my eyes. If I didn't move my head at all, I could manage to think.

"What are you doing in a suit, Smith?" Robin snapped. "Are you playing the part of the supervillain, nowadays? Why did you fight Red-X? Another vendetta?"

"One thing at a time, please." I moaned. "Let's see…No, I'm not a supervillain any more. I am a…mercenary, for lack of a better word."

"I see." Robin's eyes-_well, OK, not his eyes, but his mask_-narrowed. "Who paid you to kill X?"

I opened an eye and raised an eyebrow. I was rewarded by a blast of pain and quickly shut it again.

"_Mercenary_ is not the same as _hitman, _Bird Brain." I said. "I don't kill people."

Robin snorted.

"Right. So, what _do_you do?"

I shrugged and regretted it immediately. "Ow…I…recover things. I'm also quite a good bodyguard."

"So…you work for whom? Mob bosses?"

I sighed in despair.

"I said _bodyguard, _Robin, not _henchman. _And, for your information, my last client was the Louvre Museum."

Silence.

"In Paris, France." I added, to rile him. It worked.

"I _know_ where the Louvre is." he growled. "I just don't believe you."

"Call them, if you like." I shrugged. "_Ow! Damn! _If it..._ouch_…puts you at ease."

"Don't think I won't!" I caught a whiff of his cheap hair gel and knew that he had brought his face close to mine, to intimidate me. It didn't work. You had to _see_ him to be intimidated, and I wasn't opening my eyes again. "And even if they confirm, I'll have Raven read your mind, just to make sure."

My eyes snapped open. I ignored the pain.

"Raven!" I cried. "Where is she? Is she OK?"

Silence.

"I see…" Robin crossed his arms and loomed over me. It wasn't very effective. Batman looms. Robin, with his traffic-light suit _cannot_ loom. "What is going on between you two?"

"None of your business, Bird Brain." I snapped.

"It concerns one of my team-mates and a villain." he growled. "I _make _it my business."

"Ask Raven, then." I hissed. "_Where is she, Bird Brain?_"

I sat up a bit, looked around, and stared right into a welding torch. I cried out and shut my eyes again. _Damn, damn, damn!_

"What is going on?" I asked.

"Cyborg got hurt." answered Beast Boy. "All his primary circuits were fried by X's EMP. We got the automated surgeon to repair him."

I risked a look. Cyborg was laying on a table, somewhat reminiscent of a Frankenstein movie. On his chest sat what looked like a metallic spider, its legs jerking around in complicated patterns. Occasionally it welded something inside Cyborg's chest.

"Is he gonna be OK?" I asked. He was a good guy and I didn't want him to be hurt. I _had _asked him to draw X's fire, after all…

"Yes." answered Starfire. "It is only a matter of time until he recovers."

"OK, enough!" Robin barked. "You _stay_ on that bed, Smith! I'm warning you!"

"_Where. Is. Raven?"_ I growled and gathered as much power as I could. Barely enough for one spell, and not a very powerful one.

"You are _not_ seeing her, Smith!" Robin retorted.

"_Not your call, Robin!_"

Raven was standing on the door, her hood lowered, her eyes blazing. I sighed, relieved. If she was angry, she was OK.

With a few strides she walked up to Robin and gave him a long hard stare. I had to give Bird Brain credit: he didn't flinch. Still, a drop of sweat ran down his forehead.

"You are our leader, Robin." Raven hissed. "We all owe you our lives. We are all grateful; myself more than anyone. We'd give our lives for you. But _don't_ think you own us. If you do, you might be in for a _very _unpleasant surprise. Am I _clear_?"

Robin gave a barely perceptible nod. Raven seemed satisfied. She turned to me and her eyes softened just a bit.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"I've been better." I replied. "How' re you?"

She shrugged, as she wasn't important. "Fine." she replied, a hint of sarcasm in her monotone. "How do you _feel?_ It's _important_, John."

I pondered this for a moment.

"Empty." I answered. "Drained. Tired. Does this help?"

"Maybe." she sat next to me and took my hand. Her skin was cold, as always. "How did you feel when you…controlled the birds? What spell did you use? Some sort of mesmerism?"

I looked into her eyes. Somehow I felt that she knew already and that I was just confirming her suspicions.

"No." I answered. "_Definitely_ not. It was different than anything I had attempted. The magic was…raw…? Untamed…? Instinctive. I don't know how to express the feeling. Do you understand what I mean?"

She nodded. "Yes. Go on."

"I wanted…_needed_ a weapon. And then the birds appeared and something inside me said _yes_, that's it, that's what you need, and I…exploded…? Like…sneezing I guess, but deep down. My _soul._And then I _was_ the flock. Every bird, every thought. It was hard to find _me _in there. I thought I'd lost myself."

She nodded. "I see. Your powers are expanding. It was time."

"Expanding?" She now held my full attention, and that of everyone else. Even Robin was listening closely.

"Yes. You've read the _Book of Azar._"

I winced. I had read it, all right. Stolen it and studied it. More than half the Illusions in my arsenal were spells from the _Book._

"Do you remember the magic 'school' categorization?"

I nodded. "Yes, I do. Mysticism, Illusionism, Healing, Undoing, Sensing, Elemental magic…and a few others. I don't remember them all."

"Good. Take me for example. I was born a Mystic. Teleportation, telekinesis, and a few mind tricks. But then my powers evolved. I became attuned to other 'schools'. Healing, for one. Sensing. But these spells take a lot out of me. They are…alien in a way. Different. It's like fitting a square peg in a round hole. You can do it, if you pound it hard enough, but it isn't…right. Do you understand?"

I nodded. "I'm with you so far. Go on."

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, friend Raven, but you are quite the accomplished healer! Why do you claim not to be a competent one?" Starfire asked.

"It is written in the _Annals of Asclepius _that the master Healer Asclepius could re-grow an arm in the time it took his severed limb to hit the ground. _That's _good Healing, Starfire." sighed Raven.

"Cool." breathed Beast Boy.

"Go on, Raven." I urged her.

"You are…_were_…an Illusionist, John. That's it. All your power, focused in one 'school'. It was…strange to say the least. When I met you I thought I had run into a master Illusionist, one so accomplished in his 'school' that he didn't _need _to resort to other magic. But later on I realized that you were nowhere near master level. You were weak. You _couldn't _use any other magic."

"Thanks a lot." I grumbled.

"Now, I can connect the dots. Until you stole the _Book, _you could only cast minor spells, spells you had learned instinctively. That was no challenge to your powers. Then, suddenly, you start playing around with Wraiths and Convictions and who-knows-what-else. It was a shock for your powers. Suddenly you were pushing yourself to the limit. Training yourself in magic is like exercising your body: the more you train, the more power you can "store up". And then, suddenly, you _overflowed._"

She said that last bit so sharply that I jumped.

"Your power was too much for just one school. It searched for some other outlet. It found one."

Silence.

"Are you doing this on purpose?" I growled. "What school?"

She produced a very heavy-looking book from inside her cloak and slammed it on my lap.

"Ooof!" I gasped. "What is this?"

"_Marduk's Teachings_." she answered. "I managed to find out what kind of spell you used, but the _Book of Azar _was seriously lacking in information. I had to resort to _Marduk."_ There was a barely perceptible tone of dismay in her voice. "Page three hundred and fifty-three."

I opened the book, found the right page and read the title. In big, spiky, red letters, the title read:

_DOMINATION_

Silence.

I grinned.

"What?" asked Raven.

"'_Domination'_?!" I chuckled. "Is this serious? Wow, so that makes me…what? A_"Dominator"_? Sounds like..."

Beast Boy sniggered.

A blast of black magic blew a small hole in the wall behind me. I winced. It had singed my ear.

"Grow up." Raven sighed, exasperated. "Get your mind off the gutter. Then, read on."

Still grinning, I bent over the book.

_Domination is Evil; 'Tis the Power of Warlords, leading Troops to Battle; the Power of foul Priests, converting the People to their corrupted Faith; the Power of Kings and Despots, bending their Subjects to their twisted Will. _

'_Tis the Power that breaketh the Soul of the Spellcaster; the Power that seedeth the Minds of others with the Caster's evil Self. 'Tis the Power that taketh away Freedom and Choice and granteth Slavery and Control._

'_Tis not like Mesmerism; For the Mesmer is a Battle of Wills. Domination's Strength lies not in using Magicke to convince the Subject that the Caster is Right, but in implanting a Part of the Caster's Soul within the Body of the Subject. 'Tis a delicate Procedure, which can be dangerous for the Caster, but should he succeed, then total Control of the Subject is his Reward._

_Fight Dominators without Mercy; for they are naught but Hell Spawn. They hide, and plot and slither like Vermin, always present, always dangerous, always a shadowy Menace. They shall not show Mercy to anyone; nor should Mercy be shown to them. Shield your minds with Shield Spells, for even the simplest ones deter Dominators. They are not only Evil, but also Cowardly, and none would risk a precious Part of their Soul against even the meanest Shield._

Silence.

"Well?" asked Raven, her voice expressionless.

_Not true. Oh, come ON! I don't need this!_

"Have you read this?" I asked, my voice slightly edgy.

"Yes." monotoned Raven. "Do you think that your spell fits the description? Are you a Dominator?"

_Does it fit the description? Yes. Except for the 'Evil-Hell-Spawn-kill-it-if-you-see-it' part._

"Yes." I replied. "Probably."

"Good." she took the book and closed it.

"_Good?_" I couldn't help but snap. "I'm sorry, Raven, but I fail to see the 'good' part. You read the book! Domination is evil!"

"Did it _feel_ evil?" she asked, her tone icy and businesslike. I had to consider this.

"No." I admitted. "It didn't really 'feel' like anything. I just did it."

She nodded, with a snort.

"Marduk was the High Priest of the Temple of Light in Azarath. This propaganda stuff is quite like him, really." she said.

"You knew him?" asked Beast Boy.

Raven gave him a sad smile.

"He was the one who convinced the Azarathians that I was a demon's daughter: evil and not trustworthy, a ticking time-bomb. Only my mother and Azar cared for me after that."

She turned to me and there was a glint of steel in her eyes.

"The man who calls your powers 'evil', John, is the same one who called _me_ 'evil'. Any comments?"

I nodded. "Yes. How do I learn this…_Domination?_"

She didn't smile; her mouth didn't, that is. Her eyes kind of watered, though.

"You…I have some spellbooks in my library…you could…consult them, if you like." she mumbled. "And I'd be…happy to help…?"

I smiled. "Sure. Thanks."

"Hold it!" Robin butted in. "I don't believe my ears! Raven, are you actually offering to _train _him?"

Raven spun round as if she had been slapped.

"_Yes, _Robin, I _am_. And you should be _grateful._"

"_Grateful?!_ I…"

"He can't control it, Robin! Not yet!" Raven hissed. "Can you imagine what would happen if an untrained, but powerful, wizard is allowed to walk the streets?"

Robin's face lit up. He grinned nastily and a shiver ran down my back. _Wrong choice of words, Raven!_

"Yes." Robin sneered. "Yes, you are right. What do you think, should he be detained until he acquires some mastery over his powers?"

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "You can't do that! I'm not a criminal!"

Silence.

Robin and Beast Boy laughed.

"You're not a criminal?" Robin chuckled, less amused than he sounded.

"Nope." I answered smugly. "Can you prove I committed any crimes? In a court of law, I mean?"

That stumped him. Heroes are not used to thinking in law-court-lawyer ways. That's why most villains get out on bail, or parole, or even get all charges dropped, only to cause some mayhem the day after. We both knew I had broken the law on several occasions, but _proving_ it would be difficult.

"OK." he said, after a moment's consideration. "OK, you're not a criminal. So, I'll offer you a deal. You'll train with Raven. But, you'll also work with the Titans for a while, where we can keep an eye on you."

"WHAT?!" I jumped off the bed and balled my fists, my headache forgotten. "What if I refuse?" My voice was lower than intended and much more menacing.

_Work with the Titans? There goes my street cred!_

"Well, if you refuse, I'm sure we can get you a nice cell in Arkham Asylum, now that the Riddler has broken out. You'll be a danger to the public, Smith." replied Robin, more than a hint of smugness in his voice.

"You wouldn't _dare._" I growled.

"Watch me." countered Robin, smoothly.

_He's gonna do it, John. No doubt about it. He means it._

My fists were clenched so tight, that my knuckles were almost white. Raven put her hand on my shoulder.

"Don't." she said softly. "It's not worth it."

"Fine." I growled. "But there are some conditions."

"You are in no position…" Robin started, saw Raven's expression and shut up.

"First and foremost, I want to know how much time I'm gonna be Titan Number Six." I said. "I want to know _now_."

"Six months." replied Robin with a shrug. "Will that be enough, Raven?"

She nodded.

"I'm not going after the HIVE." I continued. "Ever. No matter what. I owe these guys a lot."

"Fair enough." answered Raven, before Robin could as much as blink. "Anything else?"

"Yes." I turned to Starfire. "Starfire, you will _not_, under _any _circumstance, hug me. Is that _clear?_"

* * *

_A/N: __Here's another chapter. Hope you like it._

_Whooohooo! I'm getting a _lot_ of reviews. Me-sah likes reviews… :-)_

_**Reaver:**__ lol. 'Action fix'? Well, there's not as MUCH action in WaH as in SaM, but all the action is much more…hmmm…shall we say:…higher-level (grin). And…messier. I hope you'll like it._

_**Ghostalker: **__Compliments will not get you anything :-P I will update when the time is right. That would be…let me think… in five days or so. 'Till then, why don't _you_ update? (grin)_

_**Xaleria:**__ I _know_ that X is your favorite villain. You write him perfectly :-D. And thanks._

_**anon:**__ Do you think that…oh, I don't know…Could you maybe elaborate, mate? Thanks anyway._

_**VV:**__ Yep, it does it to everybody. And you have NO IDEA how many times I had to edit Starfire.It's a relief that you think I didn't overdo it. I like her, don't misunderstand me, but she's probably the hardest character to write. F&ng aliens….(grumble, grumble, growl…)_

_**Ivy: **__Thanks :-). It seems everybody likes Red-X (grin). _

_This wraps it up, I guess. Cheers, everybody. See ya later…_

_-Phaethon, out._


	6. As Time goes By

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

I landed on the ground with rib-cracking force and blessed E for SHROUD. The pavement cracked round the impact point. _Could be worse. Could've been my head._

"Whooo-hoo! Now _that's _an uppercut!" Adonis capered.

"Ouch." I managed.

There _have_ been snappier comebacks.

Beast Boy thundered by me in elephant shape, scooping low with his tusks, catching Adonis in the midriff, raising him high in the air and ramming him against a wall with tremendous force. The villain just sniggered, grabbed the changeling's front feet and performed a move that can only be described as 'slam'. The whole city block shook.

"Gotcha this time, geek." chuckled Adonis.

A barrage of starbolts knocked him back, right onto Raven's forcefield. He grunted, turned around and_ punched, _and the magic was blown to bits.

"Upgrades." he grinned. "Psychic dampeners. Cost me a hell of a lot, too."

Starfire swooped down, but Adonis whirled round faster than one could imagine someone this big to react, and caught her with a frightful backhand that catapulted her right onto the charging Cyborg. She barely had time to 'yeek'.

Adonis turned to Raven, punched a magic blast out of the air and closed his massive fist round her neck.

"Still feisty, I see." he taunted.

"You have _no_ idea." she half-growled, half-choked. "Azarath, Metrion,_ Zinthos!_"

A piece of concrete the size of a car was wrenched off the side of the building. It hit Adonis at the back of the head, knocking him over with a sound like a mighty tree falling.

"Robin, Wraith, _now!_" Raven choked, collapsing next to the fallen leviathan. Robin reacted immediately, producing two birdarangs and cutting through the neural interface wires that allowed Adonis to control his mecha suit. That took out the psychic dampeners as well. I placed a hand on the villain's forehead and paralyzed him.

"Enjoy jail." I growled.

The area around us was a _mess._Two big craters in the asphalt made the road unusable for quite some time. Half the side of a building was crumbling.

The Titans emerged out of the dust, looking a bit scared and apprehensive.

"What the _hell_ was that?" asked Robin, furious. "What were you _thinking,_ Sm…Wraith?"

"Sorry." I mumbled. "I thought I could take him when he had his back turned. I didn't know about the dampeners, or I would have…"

"_Don't_ do that again!" Robin jabbed a finger into my chest. "You're a part of this team, whether you like it or not, and I won't have you endangering it. Next time, wait for the signal and we'll attack together!"

I hung my head in shame and anger. It wasn't easy to accept it, but Bird Brain was right. It _was _my fault.

_Five months, John. Five more months._

* * *

"We'll start with pretty basic stuff. See what you can do." 

I shrugged. "Suits me fine."

Raven opened a book and readied a pen over a piece of paper.

"Let's see…Give me a three-yin power surge in the Ajna and Vishuddha chakras, please."

I blinked.

"The what?"

She stared, surprised and repeated what she had said, whatever it meant.

"The only words I understand are 'power surge' and 'please'." I admitted.

She closed her book, looking very worried.

"John, this is pretty basic stuff. Anyone who has read _Chakras' Power_ could do it."

"Well, I can see the problem right there." I joked. "I haven't read _Chakras' Power._"

"_Paths of Energy?_"

"No."

"_Centers of Chi?_"

"Nope."

"_Meditation for Dummies,_perhaps?" she asked, annoyed.

"I don't meditate." That stunned her. "Never have. I don't need it."

"But…your powers…control…" she stuttered.

"I don't _need _meditation, Raven." I repeated. "My powers _don't_ work that way. There is no _need_ to control my emotions. In fact, the more I feel, the better. More power, you see."

That hurt her. She _had_ to meditate, for hours every day, to keep her emotions in check. And while I had found a way to 'bind' her powers for short periods of time, once my spells wore off, she was back were she started.

"I'm sorry, little blackbird." I said softly. "Let's get back to books, shall we?"

"Yes." she agreed, her head snapping back up from her short reverie. "Yes. Where were we?"

"_Meditation for dummies._" I joked. She didn't smile.

"Yes. What spellbooks _have_ you read?"

"Well…the_ Book of Azar…_?"

"Good. And…?"

"That's it."

"Azar help us!" she rolled her eyes in despair. "It's a miracle you haven't blown yourself up yet! Listen, I want you to read these by Monday."

She motioned and a stack of books wreathed in black magic left the bookcase and landed on a pile next to me. I gulped audibly. I _like _reading. But you could see without opening them that these books were the kind printed in minute print, two columns every page, five hundred pages minimum.

_So much to learn…_

* * *

"Five minutes, thirty-eight seconds, Smith. Not good enough. Not _nearly_ good enough." 

I bent over, my hands resting on my legs, breathing in short gasps. _Tired. So tired. _

"Even Beast Boy can do the obstacle course in less than two and a half minutes." Robin drawled from the controls.

"Hey! I'm so much better than two-thirty!" protested Beast Boy.

I straightened up and cast a worried eye over at the course. The laser turrets were silent now. I shuddered, remembering that last stage of the course.

"Do it again, Smith."

"Oh, come _on!_" I protested. "Show some mercy, won't you? Yesterday we fought Johnny Rancid. Then we trained. Then I had to stay up to three a.m., practicing the Abraxas chants. This morning it was Mad Mod. And now -surprise, surprise!- we're training. Can I get _one_ hour of rest, please?"

"Sure." Robin replied. "After you do the obstacle course again."

I sighed in despair and readied what was left of my power.

_Four months, John. Four bloody months._

* * *

"What are you doing? Stop!" 

BOOOM.

I looked up, through singed eyebrows, into the eyes of a very sooty-faced and annoyed Raven.

"What was _that?_" she asked sternly. "Why did you use _wormwood_, for Azar's sake?"

"Well…" I stuttered, pointing at the remains of the alembic. "I had to find something to cancel out the instability of the basilisk's feathers. I thought that wormwood, perhaps…"

Silence.

"It wasn't a good choice." I admitted.

"No, it wasn't." she snapped. "What's wrong with some amanita?"

"Ah…" I pondered this for a moment. "…Right. Sorry."

"That's enough for today." she decided. "Hold it! Where do you think you're going? Read _these_ by Friday."

The pile of books reached to my waist. I groaned.

"You are a cruel, _cruel_ woman." I whined.

"You'd better believe it." she growled, but her eyes were smiling.

I leafed through the top book. As expected: minute script, two columns, for over three hundred pages.

_So much to learn…_

* * *

E-minor 

The shockwave lifted cars off the street, blew everything made of glass apart and punched through my eardrums like a battering ram bursts through a door. I fell on my knees and screamed and could not hear myself.

Silence. Blessed silence.

An Illusionist is never deaf, not even when his eardrums are broken. I could feel sound vibrations on my skin and, if I channeled enough power to the right brain centers, I could piece these vibrations together and 'hear' through my skin.

"Whooo-hoooo!" I heard Punk Rocker cry. "Man! That is some _sweet_ music. Let's see where we go from here…"

A-minor.

Cyborg's sonic beam _bent_ impossibly through the air and dissolved. Starfire was blown off the air like a leaf.

"_Yeah!_" Punk Rocker screamed. "Music to my ears. How 'bout an encore?"

His fingers were poised over the chords of his guitar, when Beast Boy rammed into him, in the shape of a mighty green rhinoceros. Rocker screamed, twisted impossibly in the air and landed, standing, on his guitar. He swooped away, as if he was skateboarding, the guitar floating a good twenty feet off the ground.

"Everyone's a critic!" he sneered. "Let's have some _music,_baby!"

I gritted my teeth.

_Oh no, you don't!_

The air erupted in Rockers flight path. A griffin, all feathers, razor sharp talons and steely beak gave an ear-piercing screech and attacked.

**(Woooo-hooo! This is fun!)**

Rocker screamed like a girl, grabbed the neck of his guitar and, more out of luck than skill, managed to loop 'round the griffin. I grinned.

_Say hello to my friend._

Beast Boy, in the shape of a hummingbird, gracefully landed on the guitar. Rocker froze.

Silence for a beat.

"_YAAAAHHHH!_"

In the blink of an eye, the hummingbird turned into an elephant. The guitar groaned and broke like a dry twig. Rocker tumbled out of the air like a shot-down plane; right onto Raven's waiting forcefield.

"Gotcha." she hissed and wrapped him up. "They play Beethoven in jail." she added, evilly.

"What do they say…?" I asked, walking up to her and wiping away the blood that was running out of my ears. "Music can soothe the savage beast?"

She glanced over to Beast Boy who was doing a victory jig with Cyborg.

"I don't think so." she smirked, and sent some blue sparks down my ear. Sound returned with a_ pop_.

"Dude! Did you see that? First I was like WHOOM! And then Wraith called up this _mean_ monster and then I was like 'You're going down, dude' and then Raven was like…we _kicked _some_ butt!_"

"Cool, BB." Cyborg grinned. "What was that about a monster?"

"A griffin." I explained. Cyborg was too much a machine for my powers to work on him. At least that's the only explanation I could come up with for his total immunity. Whatever I tried, I couldn't play around with Cyborg's mind. I couldn't fool him; but it also meant he lost my best spellwork. "Straight out of Blaise's _Corpus Supernaturale_."

I grinned at Raven. She smiled back.

"Nice spellwork." I said, nodding towards the forcefield. She nodded an acknowledgement and smiled, but said nothing.

"Yes, I guess it was OK." Robin growled, supporting the, still dizzy, Starfire. "Good job, Raven, Beast Boy, Wraith…good job, _everyone._"

"Dude I'm telling you! It was cool! It was _mean,_like, all claws and feathers!"

"What's _Corpus…_whatsisname?" asked Cyborg, as they walked away.

"Sounds like a movie, I guess." shrugged Beast Boy. "I'll go to the DVD store and see if I can rent it for tonight. It's gotta be cool, if it has such monsters."

I rolled my eyes and groaned.

_Three months, John. Three more months…_

* * *

"Come_ on, _BB! Fire the damn boosters!" 

"What are you _talking _about, Smith? He'll need them for the third lap!"

I glowered at Robin, over the heads of Beast Boy and Cyborg who were furiously pushing buttons.

"If he doesn't get a lead now, he'll _never _win. Cyborg's edging away all the time!"

"What do _you_ know about this game, Smith?"

"Three words: Long. Boring. Nights." I countered. "I've been playing StarDrive since before you wore the traffic-light-suit, Bird Brain."

"That's it!" Robin was fuming. "We're playing next!"

Beast Boy and Cyborg froze, looked at us with wide open eyes and then stormed out of the room.

"John is playing against Robin!" I heard Beast Boy's cry before the door closed behind them.

Robin and I stood facing each other, exchanged a couple of Death Glares and then bent over and got our controllers.

"Best of three?" I asked.

"Yes." Both our voices were calm and businesslike. "Each chooses his own craft, or do we pick the same one?"

"Each his own."

The door opened and the Titans stormed in like an avalanche, jumping over furniture and tripping each other in their haste to get to the screen. Even Raven.

The countdown started and I glanced over at Robin. I immediately knew I'd win. He wasn't even pushing the buttons for a turbo-start. Ridiculous.

The lights over the virtual starting lines turned green, and both our craft shot forward.

_Ah, Robin._ I thought, smiling, as I rammed his pod out of the track. _Still, so much to learn…_

* * *

The Knights were looking _mean._It was an important deal, after all. They had to look competent, if they wanted to get some respect. 

Musashi was not impressed. He stepped forward, and two of his bodyguards followed him.

From the ranks of the Knights, a single man moved to meet him. In his mid-forties, he had a goatee and was wearing a red bandanna on his head.

"Mr. Conrad, I presume?" asked Musashi, his eyes hidden under a pair of sunglasses.

"Yes." came the answer, in Conrad's trademark wheezing growl. "And you are Musashi, right?"

"_Mr. _Musashi, if you please." said Musashi, and his voice carried no trace of menace. It was a statement. If you wanted to address him, you had to do it properly. It shouldn't even _occur_ to you to do it differently.

_That's _'mean'.

"You have the money?" asked Musashi and Conrad nodded. Another Knight stepped forward, holding a briefcase. He opened it, revealing cash. A _lot_ of cash.

"Now that I've shown you mine, be so kind as to show me yours." Conrad snickered. "..._Mister_ Musashi."

A bodyguard threw a heavy bag on the floor. The Knight next to Conrad zipped it open and drew out a small plastic bag, filled with white powder. He tore the top off, let some powder fall into a test tube and smiled when the solution turned blue.

"AA quality." he assured Conrad.

Meanwhile, Musashi was examining randomly selected banknotes. He nodded, satisfied, when Conrad looked at him questioningly.

"You have a deal, Mr. Conrad." he said and turned to leave.

"_Conrad. What are you doing?_"

The voice came from somewhere up among the roof beams, when the gang members looked up, there was no-one there.

"_I told you, Conrad. I don't want drugs in this city. What part of that did you not understand?_"

"Oh no…" whispered Conrad and turned to his men. "Drop your guns, lads! It's over."

The Knights nodded hastily and the clatter of guns hitting the floor filled the old warehouse.

"We surrender!" cried Conrad. "We're not resisting arrest! There is no need for...unpleasantness…"

Safe under my Veils, sitting a little uncomfortably on a roof beam, I smiled.

_When all is said and done, it's good to have a reputation_.

"I agree, Conrad. There will _be _no unpleasantness. You don't _want_ any, do you?"

"No." came the hurried reply. "I told you. We surrender."

"Good. Please, lie down on your stomach. Your friend, Mr. Musashi doesn't seem to agree with you and I wouldn't want any of you to get hurt."

Musashi was scanning the roof, twirling around wildly.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"It's the Ghost." answered Conrad.

"_The _WRAITH_, if you please._"

"Sorry! Sorry. It's the _Wraith. Please, _Mr. Musashi. Surrender now." Conrad's voice was bordering on panic.

"_Listen to the man, Mr. Musashi. Don't…"_

"_Wraith!_" exclaimed Musashi. "Pah! It is a man, that will bleed like any other!"

He screamed something in Japanese and his men opened fire, peppering the roof with machine-gun slugs. I huddled as tight as I could and activates SHROUD, just to be sure.

After a while, they stopped firing. Most of the Knights were whimpering, but there were some of them who were sniggering. They knew what was coming and they didn't like Musashi, anyway.

"_Pity. If it's any consolation, I probably won't enjoy this._"

A blinding light, somewhere among the roof beams and then, suddenly, my Wraith was there, glowing with a bright white aura, slowly floating down, towards Musashi and his men.

"_Who am I kidding? I'll_ definitely_ enjoy this._"

The white aura died and was replaced by a stinking, black, miasmatic cloud. The white trench coat turned black and bloodied. Wraith's fingers grew longer with a sickening crunch-y sound and stiffened into long talons. The scarf 'round Wraith's face fell off, revealing a mouth full of sharp, pointy, evil teeth.

Musashi screamed.

My communicator beeped.

I cursed, took my eyes off the carnage below and answered the call. It was Robin.

"What?" I growled.

"Where the _hell_ are you, Smith?" he growled.

"Taking care of those drug dealers _you_ sent me after." I replied, crossed. "And _if_ you don't mind, I'm kind of in the middle of something. I'll call you later. Bye-bye!"

"Smith!" he growled. "Knock it off! We have an emergency down at sector A7. Get there as soon as you can."

"OK." I sighed and terminated the call.

The sounds of gunfire had long ago ceased. I bent over the beam and surveyed the scene. Some of the Knights were openly laughing now.

"Conrad!" I cried.

"Yes?" came the hesitant reply.

"Get your ass off the floor and go turn yourself over to the police. And take your bloody friends with you."

"All right."

Conrad looked up, expecting to find a monster ready to rip out his throat.

Nothing.

The warehouse was empty.

_Two months, John._ I thought, revving the engine of my bike. _Two more bloody months…_

* * *

The situation was _critical_. Everything was hanging from a single thread. One wrong move, just _one_ and… 

_Well, I'd better not make any wrong moves._

_Let's see. Rxe6? Possibly. But her Knight over at a5 could be a problem. I can't move my Bishop, or her Queen will have a field day among my pawns. What about my Knight?_

…_food…hungry…food…_

_Oh be quiet! This is hard enough without you confusing me._

I tore my eyes off the chessboard and met Raven's gaze. There was a faint smile there, as well as the steely glint that appeared when she thought she had me cornered. I could see that the little minx anticipated mate in three to five moves.

_Not this time little blackbird!_

_Of course! Knight to f6!_

I concentrated.

…_colony…move…food…hungry…_

The ants' minds where as simple as a mind could be. Nothing more than simple urges and primitive logical triggers. A _single_ ant was nothing. But a few hundred…now _that_ was different. Their collective intelligence rivaled that of a human. Simply_ controlling_ them was a challenge for any Dominator-in-training. Controlling them_ while playing chess…_having the insects' urges practically _screaming _inside my head while I was considering my next move…let's say that it was an even _bigger_ challenge.

My black Knight fell apart. The dozens of ants that made it up crawled across the chessboard, reached the proper square and started climbing one on top of the other. In a few seconds they had achieved a Knight-like shape. They stood still._ Absolutely _still.

"Check." I said and shook my head sharply. I was getting a lot of prismatic-eye sensory clutter.

Raven nodded, picked up one of her wooden pawns and _squashed_ the Knight with a sharp move. I winced, feeling the death of every ant as if it were my own.

_Thank God they're simple life-forms. Otherwise, I'd be coughing up blood by now._

"You are aware that this is very distracting?" I growled.

"Not my fault you didn't pull your power back at the last moment." she replied simply. "Your move."

A Rook fell apart, moved and re-assembled itself.

"Again. Check."

Her eyes widened. The steely glint was long gone.

_Come on…come on…You don't have a choice. There's only one thing you can do…_

She seemed to reach the same conclusion. She moved her King in a less fortified position.

_Good._

My Queen moved, taking out a key pawn in her defense. This was _it_.

_Go on. Take the bait._

She did –hook, line and sinker. Her own Queen moved and I barely managed to withdraw from the minds of the unfortunate insects before she squashed them into a pulp.

"Your move." she said, and the proud glint was back. I shrugged. _Sorry, Raven._

My Bishop moved. In fact it _crawled._I wanted to enjoy this.

"Checkmate." I said softly.

Her eyes widened in shock and I wished I had a camera. The look on her face was _priceless._ She studied the chessboard, decided that I was right and reluctantly shrugged.

"Fine." she said.

I released the ants' minds with a sigh of relief and they immediately set off towards the ant farm on my bookcase. Raven gathered her pieces in a box and wiped the board clean of any squashed-insect stains.

"You're getting better at this, you know." she said.

"Chess or Dominating?" I asked absent-mindedly, taking the chessboard from her and returning it into my closet.

"Both." she replied evenly.

It was then that I really registered what she had said.

_After almost five months of training, she had finally acknowledged some improvement!_

"T-thank you." I stuttered.

She smiled, got off the bed were we were sitting and hugged me tight. I returned the hug and grinned nastily over her shoulder and into the camera Robin had set over the door.

The Boy Wonder was paranoid and it was getting into both Raven's and my nerves. He spied on us constantly, never allowing us any time together beside our lessons –and then he'd sit on his computer and watch, always ready to barge in if we got too intimate. The result was that we had managed to kiss…hmmm…let me see…_three_ times during these five months. That's it. All of it. Not for lack of trying, of course, but Robin butting in screaming and inventing chores for me every time we got some time wasn't helping.

Raven and I had our revenge though. It was _fun, _having Robin get up from his room, run to Raven's, knock on the door, scream at both of us and return to his room, only to be roused again, five minutes later.

I heard the door of his room opening and his hurried footsteps approaching. _Bingo._

"You _are_ getting better, John." Raven said, as the door opened, and her voice next to my ear carried a hint of laughter. "But there's_ still_ so much to learn…"

* * *

_A/N: __I managed to type this sooner than expected. Let's see…_

_It's a fast-forward chapter. I tried to show how John slowly becomes __a 'kind-of' Titan. He gradually becomes a part of the team, while maintaining a 'solo-carry-my-own-weight' attitude. Dunno. When I wrote this, I thought it was a good idea, but I'm not so sure now that I'm typing it. It feels…strained, in a way. _

_Let me know what you think._

_Replies to reviews are as follows:_

_**VV/ Ivy: **__Oh come _on!_ It wasn't _that_ funny…_

…_Was it…:-?_

_Thanks anyway :-)_

_**Xaleria: **__You're welcome. And, as you can see, they managed to survive. Strained relationship, though :-P_

_**Ghostalker: **__Cringe for him, mate. Cringe for him…:-P _

_I'm waiting, don't worry. I can be a very patient man, when I have to…I just don't _like_ having to… ;-P_

_Oh, and I have no doubt that it will be good. _

_Compliments won't get you anything, but that doesn't mean I don't like to be complimented XD_

_Cheers, __**Dave.**__Thanks a lot._

_Next ch__apter will be up when I feel like it (mean grin)._

_-Phaethon, out._


	7. Meet the Family

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

"Timmy! Put that _down_, for Azar's sake!"

I rolled my eyes and scanned my newspaper. Nothing important. A new TOKAMAK reactor opening up in Detroit. Lexcorp plans for two more buildings in Steel City. The arrest of a drug dealer in Colombia. Nothing out of the ordinary.

_Oh yeah. And World War III in the Tower's living room._

It was baby-sitting day for Raven. Melvin, Bobby, Timmy and Teethers had arrived this morning, courtesy of Herald. It was…refreshing, to say the least.

Melvin was laughing hysterically at one of BB's jokes; Timmy was playing tag with Raven, who was desperately trying to recover _Roots_; Teethers was fighting with Silky over who would eat the tea kettle and Starfire was trying to break them up; Robin and Cyborg were discussing Robin's equipment, obviously oblivious to anything that was going on and Bobby, the eight-foot tall teddy bear, with claws and teeth the size of my arms was leaning over the breakfast table, trying to read the comics strip at the back of my newspaper.

"…MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE…"

"_Timmy! Get back here! NOW!"_

"…And then the kangaroo says…"

"…MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE!..."

"Sorry, Rob, but I don't think there's a way of fitting a remote-control mechanism into your bird-a-rangs…"

"Silkiiiiee! It is…not…nice to fight….nghhh…for food with…guests!"

"…_MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE…_"

I sighed, folded the newspaper and slid it over to Bobby, who nodded his thanks and flipped it over to the funnies. I got up, downed the last of my hot chocolate, casually tripped Timmy as he ran past me and made my way towards Robin and Cyborg.

_Whooot…Whooot…Whooot…_

The worst sound one can hear on a Sunday morning: the Tower's alarm. _Damn!_

Robin kicked into battle mode in a second. He called up video feeds from traffic control cameras, checked the origin of the signal and…

"Store robbery." he said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"_Dude!_" Beast Boy wailed. "I _hate_ this. And on Sunday morning too!"

"I'll handle this." I proposed, in a rare fit of altruism. "Just…Raven? Please teleport me there. I am _not_ in the mood for driving this early in the morning."

* * *

They were amateurs.

The Titans-their very _existence_-have drilled _one _lesson into the skull of every aspiring robber. _Crime doesn't pay. You'll get caught. And when you do…Ouch!_ Only supervillains dare to challenge the Titans nowadays.

Any shoplifter or robber in Jump City is either stupid, or desperate, or simply new in the city.

Raven and I flashed into existence a few feet away from the shop's door; the owner turned to face me as Raven disappeared. He was an elderly man, in his early sixties, thin and bony-looking. He was shouting and swearing, but stopped immediately when he saw me. He knew that, since the Titans were involved, he'd get his money back.

"Which way?" I asked.

He pointed down an alley. "There. Three of them. They had guns."

_Guns. They _were_ new in the city. NOBODY_ _who knows what's good for him carries guns in Jump. With Robin around, it's like asking for a beating._

I started down the alley and paused almost instantly. A sewer hatch was open. _Shit._ I _hate _sewers.

_Oh well. If we must, we must._

I slid down the manhole and climbed down the stair, landing on something soft. I groaned. SHROUD was pretty easy to clean; you just bleached the hell out of it; but somehow I knew that I would get it _really _stained before getting out of this mess. _Serves me right for wearing white._

It was dark down there. Really dark. I could conjure up a Light spell, or snap my fingers for a sonic image of my surroundings, but both light and sound would give my position away and I _so_ wanted to get these guys by surprise. So I poured power _straight into my eyes._

It _burned._Muscles pulled and nerves fired repeated signals into desperately protesting irises. To directly influence one's body in that matter is not comfortable; if one is not careful it might cause lasting damage. But I knew my limits. I had used this spell before.

My eyes opened wide; the faint, almost non-existent light that squeezed itself through drains and holes and whatnot poured into my retina like a waterfall pours into a quiet pond. Momentarily I was blinded; then I blinked and my eyes got used to it.

I looked down. I was in a sort of canal. In the middle flowed a river of ooze and slime; on either side of it, where I was standing, were narrow passages for maintenance and de-blocking crews. I could see fresh footprints on the slime that lined the passageway. They were evenly spaced and wide apart, which meant that the robbers were running. They had planned this beforehand; they knew where they were going. I followed, wrapping myself in an Illusion of Silence. They wouldn't hear me now, not if I was screaming two inches from their ear.

The sewer I was in was definitely a major line. Smaller passages branched off and led off to different directions, but I ignored them, staying on my quarry. I could hear them now: distant footfalls and gasps. They were still running. I followed, closing the distance every second, silent as a ghost.

They were closer now. I could sense their minds. Exhilaration. Some hints of fear. Satisfaction.

_Dominating them would be so easy…_

_No._

I knew that it would be stupid to try. I could barely Dominate a flock of birds. _One_ human might be within my power. Three of them…? Out of the question.

I was focusing too much on their minds. It was a mistake. The death of one of them caught me by surprise. It was like…imagine holding an apple. It is a _perfect_ apple. You can smell it. Almost _taste _it. That's how a mind –any mind- feels like. The structure…the ideas…the emotions… If you're not careful, it can overwhelm you.

Now imagine a fork piercing the apple-_after going right through your hand._ That's how _death_ feels like, if you're 'sensing' a mind when it dies.

I yelped in surprise, almost tripped and steadied myself on the wall. My spells dissolved, blown to tatters by sheer surprise. I could hear screams from up ahead, growls, gunshots…and _terror._But there was something _else, _too, something that was there _before,_but that I hadn't noticed because it felt too damn familiar. For a split second, before I pulled my…sixth sense…back in a hurry, there was _one_ thought that rammed into my mind like a high-speed bullet.

_Raven._

And then I was kneeling down, my hands over my ears, screaming. Memories flowed up from where I had buried them long ago. Dark. Fear. And something out there, picking people out, one by one, my friends, Jason, Kate, Frank, Iris…

_This isn't natural. You DON'T break down like this usually, John. Get a grip!_

The thought was clear as a patch of blue sky in a thunderstorm. It helped me get my bearings. I realized my eyes were closed and opened them. Not much of a difference. My Night-eye spell was gone. I couldn't see a damn thing. I couldn't_ hear_ a damn thing. Whatever had happened, it was now over. I got up shakily, not daring to use any powers. I could feel the magic up ahead, coming my way. It was _big._It was also familiar.

Four red glowing eyes opened up in the darkness.

_Shit._

I slowly…_very slowly _reached for my knives, unsheathing them gently, to mask the metal-on-leather sound.

_Not like this! Not in a stinking sewer!_

"Raven…?"

A soft but very menacing growl made my hair stand on end. I brought my knives in front of me and crouched into a defensive position. I took a deep breath, knowing full well that it could be my last one.

And fired the strongest Light spell I could muster.

It _hurt._

That was the first thing I noticed. Firing a spell into a strong magical field can give you quite a headache. This was like being knocked over the head with a very heavy frying pan. I staggered, but kept the lights on.

I barely held back a sigh of relief.

It wasn't Raven.

Cowering under the fierce light was what looked like a cross between a lizard, a dog and…a bat? It was the size of a Doberman, with a long tail that sported a very evil-looking prong in the end. On its back were two bat-like wings, much too small to actually lift it off the ground. All over its body it had some sort of black, insectoid, scaly carapace that slowly turned into hard black skin in the area of its head.

The head. One could go _Awwww_ over it.

It wasn't the dog-like features, or the four red eyes. Nor the finger-long fangs. It was the expression. I can't explain it. It was like it was saying: _Ow! Please! I'm just a harmless little monster! What could I do to hurt you? Please put this light out! It hurts…_

I lowered my knives.

It leapt.

"_Holy…!_" I managed, before it landed on my chest, a mass of claws, fangs and tail prongs. SHROUD saved me.

I rolled left and right, trying to get it to let go, but its claws had grasped my right hand tight. Its tail landed on the ground next to me with a metallic _clang_ and I saw sparks fly. I couldn't reach my knives. It drew back its head, sighted down its nose and opened its mouth wide.

_My, what BIG teeth you have…_

I raised my left hand and pushed two fingers in its top eyes.

It let go with a scream of pain and jumped backwards, clawing at its face. Its tail swished left and right, trying to fend me off.

I picked up the one knife I could find and straightened up; looking at it like the lion tamer does at a very annoyed lion.

_Why doesn't it attack with magic? Its aura is huge! Almost like Raven's!_

"Stay _down!_" I gasped. I didn't know if it could understand me, but it was worth a shot. "For your own…"

It charged again with a howl, pumping its little wings for extra momentum. This time I was ready for it. I raised my left hand, let it clamp its jaws on polarized adamantium and jabbed with my blade for a weak spot in his carapace. It was a good plan. It nearly worked. Up to the point where its teeth bit through SHROUD.

I howled in pain. _The son of a bitch bit through ADAMANTIUM?_

Blessedly, my knife found a small crack on its left side. I rammed the blade in, right up to the hilt and felt it shudder and go limp. I collapsed on top of it, panting heavily.

_Dead. And good riddance. _A part of me cheered. Another part was more practical. _You're bleeding. This thing bit through SHROUD, which is support to stand up to anything up to an anti-tank gun. You need help, Johnny. Fast._

I managed to get up on all fours and gently get my hand out of its mouth. I _was_ bleeding-badly.

_It bit through adamantium…_ a part of me kept repeating. _It bit through adamantium…_

_And through every major vein and artery in your arm, mate._

I barely suppressed a hysterical giggle. I was losing it. Blood loss. Have to…

_Focus. Call for help._

I fumbled for my communicator. My left sleeve was already red. Blood. _Focus._

I got the communicator, turned it on, almost dropped it and…

"Smith!" It was Robin. "Smith? Are you all right?"

"Need help…" I mumbled. Everything was spinning. "Raven…teleport…track this signal…sewers…"

I heard him scream. And then I _felt_ more than _saw_ the darkness part next to me.

…_C__andle and parchment and spice, but hidden beneath all that a hint of ash and sulfur…_

"John! _John!_"

Her hand slipped under my neck, lifting my head so I could look into her eyes.

"Hey, little blackbird…" I mumbled, my vision already going. "Looks like your family doesn't like me…"

Darkness.

_Sleep._

* * *

_A/N: __Hey guys (and girls). Sorry for taking so long. I think the next update will be faster. _

_And so it begins. Up till now, it was all a sort of prologue._

_From now on I'll be giving clues as to who the master-mind villain is. Kudos and virtual cookies to anyone who'll guess his name. DON'T risk a guess in a review. PM me instead. Thanks._

_**Kyle**__: Who says he'll ever gonna leave them? You assume too much, mate. :-)_

_**VV:**__ Yup. I liked the effect too. I'm surprised you didn't find the character a bit 'stiff' though. Oh well. De gustibus et de coloribus, non discutandum. _

_**Reaver: **__You _make _time, mate. Please start writing again. You're one of the best out there._

_**Ivy:**__ OK. I choose to be complimented. As for the camera…yep. It's Robin all right. 100 Robin._

_**Xaleria: **__I_ can _show you Raven's face. There's an episode where Cyborg gets an upgrade and beats her in chess. Check it out. I got the idea from there…OK,OK, I stole the idea. Sue me. It's not like I own anything else… :-)_

_**Ghostalker: **__He's gonna go bowling XD_

_No, seriously. Who told any of you that he's gonna be 'released'? He might like the Titans' life. _

_Or not._

_Anyway, my lips are sealed._

_**Spystory: **__Hey! Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you liked it. Hope to see you again…:-)_

_Next update will be on a blue moon. (chuckles)_

_-Phaethon, out._


	8. Go back to Mommy

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

_Beeep…Beeep…Beeep…_

_Crud._

_Damn clock! It can't be six 'o clock already! Where's the damn snooze button?_

I fumbled blindly for the clock. I couldn't find it. I couldn't find the _table_ where I kept my clock either.

_Where's my table? Who stole my table?_

I opened an eyelid that seemed as heavy as a Mack truck.

_Steel walls._

_Is that supposed to mean something?_

I pondered this for a moment. _No. Can't say it is supposed to mean anything. _

_Oh yes. _

_I'm in the Tower's infirmary._

_Like I said._

_Crud._

_Beeep…Beeep…Beeep…_

My heartbeat sounded regular. I was alive. That was good to know. A useful fact.

I raised my arm. No SHROUD. No bandages. No scars, either.

_Hmmmm…_

_Looks like magical healing to me…_

Somebody was snoring. Loudly.

I opened my other eye. The lights were low. Thank _God_ for that. I felt _terrible._

There was a chair next to my bed. It was empty.

I half-crawled, half-leaned over the side of the bed. Sure enough. Beast Boy was there, drooling and snoring, curled up on the floor.

"Beast Boy." I croaked.

No response.

"Beast Boy!" I tried again, with more feeling.

"Five more minutes, Rita…" he grumbled.

"Beast Boy!"

His head jerked up so fast it nearly bumped into mine.

"Huh? What? _Dude!_You're up!"

"Really?" I chuckled. "I feel really _down._"

"No duh…" Beast Boy was_ serious. _I'd never seen him _serious_ before. "You almost died on us, dude…"

"Yeah, I know." I managed to sit up and lean back on my pillow. I had never felt so physically weak before. "What happened?"

"You tell me." Beast Boy pulled up his chair and sat. "When Raven got you back you were out like a light. What _was _that thing you killed?"

"Raven's relative I think; but that's just a wild guess." I closed my eyes and sighed. "Where is she?"

"In her room. Sleeping."

"Oh." I admit I felt a bit disappointed. I _had_ hoped for Raven to be there when I woke up. Maybe some tears of happiness. A proclamation of undying love…

_Snap out of it. This is _Raven_ you're talking about…_

Beast Boy chuckled. "_We _put her there, dude. She had to rest. She teleported you back, healed you for five hours straight, fainted, recovered, came back and healed you _again,_till she dropped. She's been asleep for the last thirty hours or so."

I heard him up to the part where Raven 'healed me till she dropped'. Bed covers, blankets and pillows flew in every direction.

"_Is she all right?_"

"…Yeah." Beast Boy sweat-dropped, his face two inches away from my scowl. "She's just _tired._ That's all. Promise. _Honest!_"

"I want to see her."

Beast Boy backed off, his face set in a grimace of determination.

"I _told_ you. She needs _rest. _And you do too."

I growled and made to stand. The room spun 'round me like a carousel.

"Like I said…" Beast Boy grinned, pushing me back to the bed with a single finger. "You're weak. If your blood pressure was any lower, it'd be negative. You're lucky Robin is blood type O, dude."

"What has _that_ got to do with anything?" I moaned and blinked fast, trying to clear my vision. Black spots were dancing before my eyes.

"He gave blood, dude." replied Beast Boy. "Two units. Even after that, you nearly died of blood loss."

"Robin?" I asked, incredulous. "_The_ Robin? Gave blood? For _me_?"

Beast Boy grinned nastily. "He didn't have much of a choice. It was that, or spend the rest of his days in the farthest, nastiest dimension Raven could think of."

I mirrored his grin.

_That's my girl…_

* * *

"So." Robin's voice was sharp and tense. "What do we know?" 

Cyborg grunted an acknowledgement and dimmed the lights. The huge computer screen of the Tower's living room sprang to life.

"Not much." he said. "Most of what I'm gonna say right now is part speculation."

"OK, OK." grumbled Robin. "Go on."

"No, it's important!" protested Cyborg. "This might all be wrong. I…"

"Just. Spit it. _Out!_" growled Raven.

Silence.

"…Right." Cyborg wiped the terrified look off his face and turned to the computer. His fingers danced on the keyboard and a DNA chain appeared on the screen. "I take it you all know what this is?"

We all nodded. Even Beast Boy.

"A normal human DNA chain." explained Cyborg. "The well-known 'double helix'."

The image changed. A new DNA chain flashed on the screen. In places, the two chains split, twisted 'round themselves, and the 'double helix' became a '_triple_ helix'.

"Metahuman DNA." came Cyborg's voice from the gloom. "This is John. I got the genome mapping from a drop of his blood while he was unconscious. Sorry, man."

I shrugged. _No matter._

"Right." Cyborg said. "Don't ask me _how_ this triple-helix stuff works. I have _no _idea. Anyway. Moving on…"

Another DNA chain. This was a triple helix all the way.

"And this is Raven." concluded Cyborg. "All right so far? Good. Now _this_ is part of the genome of the thing you fought, John."

I made a face. Robin scowled. Beast Boy 'yucked'. The DNA chain-if one could call it a chain-was_ twisted._ Unnatural. It went from double helixes, to single strands of genes, to clumps of triple chain. It was _ragged._

"What the hell _is _that?" asked Beast Boy, disgust in his voice.

"I don't know." Cyborg sighed. "It looks wretched, doesn't it? I have no idea how this thing could survive, with this kind of instability in his genetic material. I ran some simulations using similar strands of genes, and they all confirm that this…creature should be dead twenty minutes after it was conceived. Its DNA would have been torn to bits."

"Yeah, right." I mumbled, rubbing my arm where I had been bit. "Run those tests again, Cy. Take it from me, that thing was far from dead."

"No duh." Cyborg sneered. "I was baffled, to say the least. And then I ran into _this._"

The screen displayed a triple DNA chain.

"It's part of the creature's DNA. It translates to healing powers. Guess what." Cyborg's fingers danced on the keyboard and another chain, identical to the first appeared next to it. The screen flashed the message: _'100 percent MATCH'_. "The chain on the right comes from Raven. There is an _identical_ gene in both Raven's and the creature's DNA."

Silence.

"I ran into more matches, after that. Mainly power-relative." added Cyborg. "All 100 percent matches."

"So…" Beast Boy was lost, but he hazarded a guess. "…they're _really_ related to each other?"

"Yes…and no." replied Cyborg, a nervous edge in his voice. "The probability of that many 100 percent gene matches, even between relatives, is practically nil. It looks like…" he paused.

"_Say it!_" growled Raven.

"It looks like someone copied your genes and pasted them in this thing's DNA. Sorry, I know it sounds stupid, but…"

"No." I cut him off. It was like a join-the-dots image. "It isn't stupid. It's possible, if you have a genome synthesizer."

Cyborg snorted. "That's sci-fi, John. In twenty years, maybe, there are going to be genome synthesizers, but now they're…"

"STAR labs had their prototype stolen six months ago." I cut him off. "I was hired to retrieve it, but gave the case up when I joined the Titans. For all I know, they're still searching for it."

Silence.

"Oh _man…_" mumbled Cyborg. He was pale.

"Any idea who stole it?" Robin asked.

I shrugged. "My guess is Red-X. Teleportation was involved and the whole job…well, it fits his style."

"What would Red-X want with a genome thingamajig?" asked Beast Boy. It was a good question. "It's not like him to play the crazy scientist. He's a thief."

"Yeah, which means he probably sold the synthesizer to the highest bidder. Or, even more probable, he was hired to steal it in the first place." Robin replied. It made sense. "We must find out who the hidden mastermind is. I bet Slade has something…"

"Slade is in jail." I cut him off. "I _know_. I put him there. He's probably still paralyzed. And this is _not_ his style. This was brutal and uncontrolled; Slade is more of a behind-the-scenes plotter."

Starfire sat up straight, her eyes glowing green with fury. Only then did I realize she had been quiet._Very _quiet.

"That is _despicable_." she stated, her voice low and angry. "To play with someone's_ self, _one's very _being_ in such a way…Of all the people I know, only the Citadel would do such atrocities. Friend Raven…"

"Save it." Raven's voice was oddly expressionless.

"But, surely, you must…"

"_Save it!"_ Raven hissed, two extra red eyes flickering in and out of existence on her forehead. Starfire backed away hurriedly, looking a bit hurt. Raven turned to Cyborg, forcing her voice back to her normal monotone.

"So who is it?"

Cyborg shrugged. "Can't tell. Obviously someone highly skilled in genetics. It would take a _very_ good gene slicer to come up with something like this, even if it's barely viable."

"Any idea where it came from?" asked Robin.

Cyborg grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."

He brought up a map of the US on the screen and pushed some keys. A line of red dots appeared, connecting Jump City with the West Coast. It was pretty much a _straight_ line.

"Every red dot is an attack." Cyborg explained. "Mauled farm animals. Dogs. The police think it's a lion, or some other escaped animal. We now know better, don't we?"

"The creature seems to have followed a straight line to us!" Starfire noticed with some surprise. "Do you think it knew where it was headed?"

"_Dude..."_Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "Of _course_ it did. It was after Raven…" he looked around the room, suddenly uncertain. "…wasn't it?"

Cyborg nodded. "Maybe. But I don't think so. For one it was _weak._ All its magical power was constantly tied to healing its broken DNA. It had to strain itself just to stay alive. And look at it: _John_ managed to kill it, for God's sake. Can you imagine what would happen if it had gone after Raven? She would've torn it apart!"

I crossed my arms with a grunt._Thanks a lot, Cy. _I still had to admit that he was right though. Whatever the creature's purpose, it certainly would have stood no chance against Raven.

"So, what's your theory, Cyborg?" Robin asked.

"I think they made it as some kind of test. To see if it was viable, before…improving it. I think it escaped."

Cyborg sighed.

"I think it was trying to go back to its mummy."

* * *

_A/N: __YES! I found time for an update. The moon DID look kind of blue-ish last night…_

_Hehe…evil cliffy. You know I like 'em…:-)_

_Sorry to any action junkies out there, but there won't be any action for a few chapters. Just angst-y whodunit. Story comes first. _

_**VV: **__Lol. Yep, they are evil. The more I re-read the past chapter, the more the monster reminds me of a friend's dog. It's a poodle (I think). It looks up at you with big round cute eyes and bites your leg off if you come to close…(grin)_  
'_De gustibus et de coloribus non discutandum'…Hmmmm…  
It's hard to explain. The best I can do is this:  
**Word-by-word translation:**__"Of tastes and colors there should be no discussion".  
**Actual meaning: **__You like what you like. I like what I like. You shall not judge my tastes. I shall not judge yours. Each one likes what he likes, and everybody else should accept that.  
Hmmmm…_

_**Ghostalker:**__ Read on and find out. (evil grin)_

_**Xaleria: **__Yep. If I am to kill JS (which I might, who knows?) I'll do it in the end. Relax. You'll be able to enjoy his sarcasm and cynicism for a lot more chapters._

_And I'm glad you liked it._

_Next update will be up when I have time. Probably in a week. _

_Till then, cheers. _

_-Phaethon, out._


	9. It's OUR fight

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

"Raven! Come on! I'm sorry!" 

"_Go away!"_

"Listen, I _understand._ I _said_ I'm sorry. I opened my mouth and said something stupid. There, I admit it. _Please,_come out."

"_Leave!"_

Cyborg hammered on Raven's door with his massive fist. The whole floor shook. I put my hand on his shoulder, pulling him back, gently.

"If you knock down her door, she'll never forgive you." I said. "Go. I'll see what I can do."

Cyborg lowered his head in shame and walked away, looking defeated. Robin put his hand 'round Starfire's shoulders and led her away as well, pausing to give me a pointed look that I ignored.

Beast Boy sighed.

"Dude…" he mumbled. "This is_ so _not cool."

"Tell me about it." I grumbled.

We both stared at the closed door for a few seconds, keeping our thoughts to ourselves.

"John…?" Beast Boy finally said, turning to leave.

"Yeah?" I murmured absent-mindedly.

"She probably thinks she's alone. Drive it into that thick skull of hers that she is _not._"

* * *

"Raven?"

"_What do you want?"_

"Can I come in?"

"_No!"_

"OK…" I scratched my chin in thought. you come _out_?"

No answer.

"Listen, I'll wait here, all right? I'm not going away until we have a good talk. You know I can be very patient."

"_Just GO AWAY!"_

"Not a chance."

"_Fine!"_

"Fine!"

Silence.

"_Why are you still out there?"_

I sighed.

"Listen, little blackbird. I've been here for six months now and I've heard Beast Boy crack jokes much more personal than that. So I know that it's not what Cyborg said that got to you. Spit it out, Raven. What's this all about?"

Silence.

Then, slowly, hesitantly, she began to talk.

"_I thought it was all over. I thought I had finally gotten rid of him. Yet he's still there…"_

"You know who did this?" I asked, surprised.

"_NO! It's not about him." _I could hear her sigh through the steel door. _"It's about my father."_

Silence.

"_I thought he was gone for good. That I would be free. And now, some half-witted idiot, who doesn't know better, decides to play around with Trigon's bloodline. His curse lives on. Through me. To my…children."_

The last word was spat out with such venom that it could eat through metal.

"It's not…"

"_Not that bad?" _I could imagine her sneer. _"Yes. Yes it is. You know it."_

I nodded. She was right. It _was_ bad.

"_I thought it was over, and now I'll have to fight…him…again, it's my fight…and I'm tired of this, so tired…"_

I balled a fist, enraged, and thumped the door, once.

"You've beaten him once. You will do so again." I growled. "Do you hear me? _You will win again!_ And, for the record, it's _not_ your fight. It's _our _fight. Get it? _Our_ fight!"

* * *

"Anything else we need to know about this…_thing_?"

Cyborg's head snapped 'round. Robin didn't bat an eyelid.

"Man." gasped Cyborg, his eyes darting from me to Robin and back again. "You guys are becoming more alike every passing day. _Don't_ do that creepy-crawly-in-the-shadows trick."

"Sorry." I said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to him, my eyes already drawn to the computer screen. "Where's Beast Boy?"

"Here." Beast Boy sat next to me, tofu burger in hand. "How's Rae?"

"She's with Starfire." I replied. "They're meditating together on the roof. She's OK, I think."

The changeling nodded and took a bit off his burger.

"So, anyfing noo?" he asked, munching happily away.

"Yeah…" Cyborg arched his fingers and sighed. "I did an autopsy. I think…about a week ago the creature went for a swim. In the sea."

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Osmosis damage to his cells. Salt residues between scales. A few fish scales lodged between its teeth…it all adds up." Cyborg shrugged.

"OK." Beast Boy nodded. "It was fond of the sea. What about it?"

Robin cursed softly.

"It swam…"

"Yes." Cyborg smiled grimly. "Yes it did. I think."

He turned back to his keyboard and punched some keys. The line of dots connecting Jump City with the East Coast extended to the other side of the Atlantic.

"You must be kidding…" I gasped. "It crossed the _Atlantic?!_"

"Probably yes." Cyborg sighed. "Persistent little devil, eh?"

"That's it." Robin punched his fist into his other hand. "I want to know who's behind all this. I'll have the Tower mainframe process all the evidence and…"

"That will not be necessary." I cut him off, slightly pale. "You don't need fancy PCs or high-tech gadgets for this. You only have to ask the right people."

"Like whom?" Beast Boy asked. "The dead…thing?"

The fact that Beast Boy, known for his kindness and open-mindedness towards all animals, referred to the creature as 'the thing' left no doubts about it: that…_creature_…was not natural.

"No." I replied. "Actually, I was thinking of Red-X."

All the Titans winced.

"You must be joking!" protested Robin. "Red-X? Talk to you? He'd never! And if you try it, he'll probably set a trap, or something."

"Oh, _I_ wasn't planning on talking to Red-X." I grinned evilly. "Wraith is a superhero, after all. Red-X would never give information to a superhero. But John Smith…"

I saw Robin's mask eyes widen in surprise and understanding.

"…John Smith is a villain. One of the best. He took out Slade, a year or so ago. Haven't you heard?"

Beast Boy took one look at my grin and hid behind Cyborg.

* * *

"What are you looking at?"

My reflection glared back and I sighed, absent-mindedly drying my hair with a towel. As Wraith, I had adopted a spiky-haired hairstyle similar to Robin's; Smith, on the other hand never groomed his hair.

_Great. I am already thinking of myself as two different people. I'm losing it. _

I opened my cut-throat razor and stropped the blade.

"I have to do this."

My reflection didn't reply. I didn't expect it to, obviously.

I applied shaving foam and ran the blade over my left cheek. Despite Raven's disapproval, I had grown a beard –all _right_, it was more like a week's stubble than a beard –and now I had to shave.

I cleaned the blade on a bit of toilet paper and paused, turning the wooden grip around. The razor used to belong to Jason, my friend and the closest thing I had to a father.

_What would he say about all this…?_

I chuckled dryly. _He'd have gone bananas._

I finished the right cheek and negotiated the tricky area of my chin. Then, I wiped the remains of the shaving foam away and stared at the mirror.

Smith did _not_ stare back.

_It's been awhile. I've forgotten how to __BE Smith._

The face that I saw -the unruly dark hair, the sunken eyes, the broken and slightly crooked nose- was indeed that of the villain I had been; but the expression…the expression was the relaxed and slightly optimistic one of the superhero Wraith. Gone were the cynicism and fear that haunted the eyes of Smith.

I sighed. _Oh well. Can't help it. _

I put on a pair of my old jeans and limped around a bit with the aid of my –now dusty- oaken staff. Just bearable.

The door buzzer rang.

"Yeah. Come in." I cried.

The door opened. It was Raven.

"Don't do it." she said, her voice a perfect monotone. _Always right to the point…_

"I'll be fine." I snapped and immediately regretted it.

"Please."

"Sorry."

She lowered her head in defeat and walked out. I sighed, ran a hand through my hair and looked back at the mirror.

Smith looked back.

_Crud._

* * *

I don't understand why people call Jump City Central Park 'nice'. It's a big garden, granted. But it's also seriously lacking in paper-garbage bins, it's dirty like hell, there's a distinctive stench all over it and during the night it's full of junkies, OD'ing happily away.

It's _not_ 'nice'.

_Great. I'm thinking like Smith already._

_(Sigh.)_

_I _am_ Smith. Don't forget that again, John. _

I sat on a bench, the sky overhead already red and purple. The sun was setting and X was _late._Twenty minutes late.

_He's not coming. He knows. I'd better go._

"All right. You waited long enough."

The voice came from behind me. I didn't jump; but I was surprised. I had been _certain _I would hear Red-X's approach.

I had obviously been wrong.

I didn't turn around.

"Mr. X." I was pleased to find my voice was steady as a rock. "Are you making fun of me?"

"No." He sat next to me. "I wanted to find out if you were a patient man."

"I am." I hissed. "_Very_ patient, if necessary."

"What's this all about?"

I pulled out a small leather pouch and let a diamond the size of a grain of corn fall out. It was all I had left from my thieving days.

"This." I said, handing it over.

"Oho." X's voice was full of greed. "What do I have to steal to get this?"

"Nothing." My voice was ice cold. "I want answers."

He stood up.

"I don't answer questions, Mr. Smith." he hissed, and I picked up the dangerous tone of his voice even through his voice distorter. "You should know that much. Goodbye."

"Sit _down._"

I was surprised by the anger and hatred in my voice. This was a pure Smith response; Wraith would never talk like this. Nevertheless, I went on, fixing my eyes on X.

"Sit down _now._" My hiss would have sent goosebumps down the spine of Batman himself.

X's eyes narrowed and he stepped back, raising his hands automatically into a defensive stance. Then he took one better look at my face, hesitated and sat back down.

"I _know_ you." he whispered. "Who are you?"

"No-one of consequence." I said, my voice back to normal. X laughed tensely.

"Yeah. Right. And I'm a…"

"_Don't _try_ any _jokes, Mr. X." I snapped. "I'm _really _not in the mood. Just answer me this: six months or so ago, you were hired to steal a genome synthesizer from STAR labs. Who hired you?"

Silence.

"Where you a member of the Brotherhood of Evil?"

"Huh?" _Great. Really cool response, John._

"I'm trying to remember where I've met you before."

I gritted my teeth.

"_Quit it!_" I growled. "Just _answer the damn question_, so that we can _both_ get our asses out of here."

Silence.

"Professor Chang."

_Ah…Yes. Obviously. _

"I delivered the synthesizer to his hideout in Zandia. He seemed very pleased to have it."

_Good._

_Wait…_

…_ZANDIA?!?_

"Oh, by the way, has Raven forgiven me yet?"

My mind was in auto-pilot mode. All I could think of at the moment was: _Zandia!? Crud!_

"Huh? For what?"

_Zandia! Damn, damn, damn, damndamndamndamn…._

"For ruining her cloak."

"Oh. That. I don't know. I don't think so…"

I finally registered the blinking red lights on the auto-pilot of my mind. Everything snapped back into focus.

_What did I just say?!_

Silence. A very boding silence. The kind that comes before a storm.

X laughed.

"Well, who'd have thought?" he chuckled. "Wraith, the new Titan, the mystery man with the growing fan club proves to be a former villain. And not _any _former villain. Oooh, this is _too_ good."

I didn't say anything. What could I say? He had me there, and he knew it.

"What am I going to do now, I wonder?" X mused. "I could sell this information and get me a shit-load of money. I have half a mind to do it, really."

"Then why don't you?" I snapped, bitterly.

"Two reasons." X replied. "One, I have also, on occasions, played the hero. It does not help my street cred and there are few people who would believe me if I told them. Two…the _other_ half of my mind hates the guy Chang works for. I hate him enough to overlook the fact that you're a hero now."

"Chang works for somebody else?" I asked, dazed. Things were moving a bit fast.

"Sure." X nodded. "The top guy is called _The Lord_."

"The Lord what?"

"Just _The__ Lord_. He's stinking rich and utterly ruthless. He came out of nowhere a year or two ago and pretty much overwhelmed all…_competition_. He likes burning people –alive when possible. It's his trademark. He's running most of Zandia nowadays. Has a big fortress-like home and runs his 'empire' from there."

"And he's hired Chang?"

"Both him and Killer Moth. My guess is he's up to some serious genetic engineering."

"You have no idea…" I mumbled and ran a hand through my hair. "Why are you telling me this?"

I could feel his cocky grin through his mask.

"Because I would like to see him go down in flames." he answered. "I hate psychos –and this guy is a _mean_ psycho. He's like a wild beast. You _don't_ want a man like _that_ running Zandia."

"Why don't you do something about it then?" I asked.

"I just did." X's hand darted to his belt. "I just put a superhero on his trail."

He winked out of existence.

_Zandia? Crud._

* * *

_A/N: __I updated faster than expected. Isn't that NICE?_

_**Ivy: **__Yep. Cy meant Raven. In a way he's right: the 'Thing' had so much of Raven's DNA in it, that it considered her its mother. It 'felt' her and went after her. Poor hybrid demon thingy…Can you imagine what would have happened if it had showed up in Raven's room and called her 'Mommy':-P_

_**Xaleria:**__Yep. It's up yet. Here you go. Enjoy :-)_

_**Ghostalker: **__Glad you liked it. And yes, like I said to Ivy, Raven is the mother. In a way. She didn't actually give birth to it, but you get the idea._

_**Reaver: **__There you go. Next chapter. Hope you like it._

_**VV: **__Sorry. I've only seen about 15' of Blade I. I've seen nothing of Blade II and III. I just came up with the critter  
Oh, and the monster has NOTHING to do with vampires. Just clearing that up.  
You KNOW who the villain is. I've given you another clue in this chapter. You just haven't realized that you know him.  
And good job with the translation. :-)_

_Next update will REALLY take some time. Be patient, please._

_-Phaethon, out.  
(bows and leaves)_


	10. Resurrection

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

I am a coward. 

I _know_ that. I'm not really ashamed, actually. My cowardice has allowed me to survive on numerous occasions. Running away from danger can be quite effective, at times. When other macho idiots, like Bird Brain, puff up their chests and square up in the face of the enemy, I hide and run and plot and deceive.

Hey, each to his ways. I'm not proud, but I'm still alive, right?

I've survived, so far, by not asking for more trouble than I can handle.

Zandia _definitely_ fits into the 'more-trouble-then-I-can-handle' category.

I paced the Tower's ops room, the Titans' worried eyes following me, up and down the room.

_Zandia. Zandia. Zandiazandiazandia…Damn!_

"I don't understand." chirped Starfire. "Why does friend Wraith seem so worried? I believe that the answer to our problems is obvious."

"Like hell." I mumbled, low enough for her not to hear me.

"We should go to this Zandia and kick the butt!" finished Starfire with a grin like a five-year-old, discovering one of the truths of life.

"_No!_" I half-growled, half-snapped. "Let's get this straight. We do_ not. _Go. To Zandia."

"But…"

"NO!"

I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. How to explain this...?

"Zandia…" I began "is not…safe."

Robin crossed his arms and snorted.

"The Titans don't go for 'safe'." he said. "You should know this by now, Smith."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Boy Blunder." I growled in response, my voice dripping with irony.

Robin scowled. "What are you implying?"

"When was the last time you faced off against a competent villain who wanted you dead, Robin?" I sneered. "Do tell…"

Robin adopted a puzzled expression. "Why, just this morning we faced…"

"Mad Mod." I cackled mirthlessly. "God, are you _listening_ to yourself? Mad Mod does _not_ want you dead. He wants you _hypnotized_, serving his megalomaniac fantasies. And I would definitely not call him competent. Adonis? Dr. Light? Control Freak? Don't make me laugh!"

"Slade…?" mumbled Beast Boy and shrank under Robin's glare.

"Ah…" I grinned. "Slade is different. He was competent, all right. But he never aimed to kill you. He was after Robin, wasn't he? Tried to make you his apprentice?"

Robin scowled but nodded.

"Good." I sat down and sighed. "Let's get back to Zandia. It's an island, near Sicily. I _know _it. I've been there. It's a villain safe haven. Almost half the population are villains; hiding, recruiting, plotting…It's _not_ a place for heroes."

"We've faced overwhelming odds before…" Robin protested.

"Yeah, against a group of crazed megalomaniacs who wanted to capture you alive, in order to freeze you solid and add you to a collection." I snorted. "The villains in Zandia are not like that, Robin. They will not aim to humiliate you, or capture you alive, or taunt you, or…_Look,_they'll go_ straight_ for the kill, understand?" My voice was bordering on hysteria. "They will blast you to pieces, before you can _reach_, let alone _use_, your bird-a-rangs."

Cyborg opened his mouth, but I raised a hand.

"Don't interrupt me." I met the eyes of the Titans, one by one and held them until they looked away. Only Raven glared back. "You have _no_ idea what you're getting yourselves into. I…" I cleared my throat "…when I was twelve years old, Jason took us all to Zandia for…a holiday. There was a superhero there, hunting down a fugitive villain. He was a cool guy, the superhero was. Pyrokinetic powers, if I remember correctly. He challenged the villain in public. Brave idiot…"

The Titans were listening, their eyes wide, looking mesmerized.

"Every supervillain in a three-hundred-foot radius kicked in to help. The hero was _vaporized._I mean it. They didn't even find his _teeth_." I shuddered. "There was no warning. Nothing. One second the hero was there, saying something along the lines of 'You're under arrest', and the next he was a pile of smoking ash. A _very_ small pile."

Beast Boy was shaking slightly. Starfire looked appalled. Cyborg's face was as pale as it could get, and Robin was scowling. Raven's face…was expressionless. Blank.

"I am _not_ going to Zandia." I finished, softly, more to myself than to the Titans. "Never."

"Yeah…?" Robin tried to sneer, but it didn't work. He was shaken. "Seems to me like you are afraid, Smith."

If my eyes could shoot daggers, he would've been nailed to his chair.

"I. Am. Scared. _Shitless_." I growled. "And I'm _not_ ashamed for it. Don't try reverse psychology on _me_, Bird Brain, or I'll show you what 'fear' _really_ is."

Robin rose, his chair falling over with a clatter of metal-on-metal. He was getting mad and careless. He had gotten used to me wearing SHROUD and he had forgotten that, without it, I was far from powerless.

"_I'll…_" he growled, cocking a fist.

I leaned over the table, darkness forming around me like a cloak. The temperature of the room fell abruptly, to sub-zero levels. My eyes lit up with a sickly green light, burning with rage and hatred.

Smith was _back._And he wasn't going to take this. _Nosiree._

"You'll **what?**" I growled and my voice would've sent Slade running for cover. "Hmmm?"

I saw cold sweat running down Robin's forehead. Some part of me reluctantly gave the boy credit: he _was_ brave. He was trying to convince himself that this was all an Illusion, that it wasn't real, that he wasn't afraid, that he could reach into his utility belt anytime and pull out a gadget that would blow this terrifying apparition away.

No such luck. _If it looks like a demon and sounds like a demon and feels like a demon…Guess what, Bird Brain: It IS a demon!_

_A propos_ demon.

A cold hand grabbed mine. I didn't move a muscle, my eyes fixed on Robin.

_Raven._

"Don't." She sounded afraid.

I tore my eyes off Robin and met her gaze. She flinched slightly at the fury inside my eyes, but then recovered beautifully. Once more, her face became an expressionless mask.

I let the Illusions fade and sat heavily back on my chair with a sigh. My eyes returned to Robin.

"_That_ is fear." I sneered half-heartedly. "_That _is how I feel."

Silence.

"Is there nothing we can do?" Raven asked softly.

"Yes." I said. "Call the JLA, or something. Let them clean this mess up. They've got experience. They'll be all right. _Maybe_."

Her hand tightened on mine. I looked up into her eyes and met a familiar steely glint.

"It's _our_ fight." she said.

_Oh, shit._

I bowed my head in shame, recognizing my own words. It was maybe the _first_ time in my life that I was ashamed of my cowardice. Up till now, I had considered it a bonus, a safety valve, something that would keep me out of harm's way. Up till now…

"There's a way." I said, my voice raspy and hoarse. "But you won't like it. None of you will."

"Spit it out." Cyborg was annoyed. I couldn't really blame him.

"Wraith…is a superhero." I said. "But Smith…is a villain. One of the meanest around. I've got a nice reputation, now that I've taken out Slade."

"Villains would accept you, because you've taken out one of them?" asked Cyborg.

"Yes." I answered. "It's a competitive world, out there. One of the best ways to get some respect in the supervillain underground is to find a known baddy and beat him up. It proves you're tough."

"So, you might be able to go to Zandia as John Smith, but not as Wraith." nodded Cyborg. "I see."

"You don't." I replied with a sigh. "There are…loose ends. Think about it. What do the villains know? That a guy named John Smith was after Slade. That Slade ended up in jail, paralyzed. And then, the John Smith guy disappears for almost a year. Where did he go? Why didn't he step up in Slade's place and take over Jump City? See what I mean? If I show up in Zandia, they are _bound_ to ask me these questions. They'll be suspicious. Especially if I show up as part of a team."

"So…?" Beast Boy scratched his head. "Dude, this strategic thinking is too much for me."

I sighed. _Here goes._

"If I'm going to get you into Zandia, you must pose as villains. Can you do it?"

"Yes." Robin snapped. He seemed to have recovered from the scare I gave him and I scowled.

"Really?" I sneered. "Can you_ think _like villains?"

The Titans looked baffled.

"Let me explain." I grinned evilly. "Robin, just imagine for a moment that somebody tries to flirt with Starfire. What would you do?"

"Uuhhhh…" Bird Brain blushed.

"_Right_." I sighed. "A villain would not hesitate for a single moment. He'd get a knife, or similar, and carve his name and address on the guy's face. Get it?"

"Hey!" Beast Boy protested. "You can't expect us to…"

"_Yes._" I snapped. "_I do._ I'm not asking you to _enjoy_ it, but if you don't act like villains, you might blow our cover. And if you blow our cover in Zandia, you will never know you screwed up. We'll all be dead too fast for us to notice."

There was a general sullenness.

"And one more thing. While we are in Zandia, my word is _law_. Do you _get_ it? _Law._" I spat that last word out. "Oh, _sit down_ Robin. I'm not after your leadership. If the shit hits the fan and we have to fight, you can take over. But no-one would believe that John Smith, the one who defeated Slade, is not the _leader_ of his team."

Raven held up her hand and stopped Robin's protests. "What must we do?" she asked me.

"First things first. We won't all travel together. Six teenager villains? It would be _very_ suspicious. Starfire, you'll fly to outer space and descend to Zandia. We'll dress you up as a Tamaranian villain, or something. You have an evil sister, right? We'll dye your hair and you'll put on that armor you have and it might just work. Robin, you'll need a new suit and haircut and you'll be fine. Most teams have a martial arts master anyway. Cyborg, I have no idea how we're going to smuggle _you_ through. Any ideas?"

"Sure." the colossus answered. "I'll use my holo-rings. I'll re-program the hologram. It should work."

"Whatever." I shrugged. "Beast Boy, _you_ will turn into a bug, or a flea and hide in somebody's hair –Robin's if possible." My grin was pure evil glee.

"_Dude…!_" Beast Boy whined, meeting his fearless leader's gaze. "Do I _have_ to?"

"Yes." I said.

Silence.

"What about me?" Raven asked.

"Ah. Yes." I twiddled my thumbs, nervously. "You won't like this."

"Spit it _out!_" she growled.

"Right." I sighed. "We have to bind your powers. They are…unique. If they act up, our cover will be blown." I met her eyes. "You'll need to wear psychic dampeners."

Silence.

"No."

"I'm sorry. There's no other way…"

"No."

"Listen…"

"Cast a Conviction on me." she pleaded. "Please. No dampeners."

"You _know_ I can't hold a Conviction for more than a couple of hours, Raven." I softly pointed out. "And then I'm exhausted and useless. You_ know_ it wouldn't work…"

"But…"

I knew what was worrying her. Psychic dampeners did _not_ work like my Convictions. They were considerably more…dangerous.

Magic power resembles a water hose. While my Convictions cut off the 'water' completely, a dampener worked very much like somebody _stepping_ on the hose. For a short while, there was no 'water' pouring out. Fine. But the latent and unusable power would build up, the pressure would increase until…

Well. Two things were liable to explode. It would be either the dampener or the spellcaster.

A spellcaster like Raven could probably wear a dampener for a couple of days before the pressure would become too great. Then…

"Listen." I could see that she was getting panicky. "Every night, I'm going to cast a Conviction on you. Then, you're going to take off the dampeners and let off steam, slowly. It should work. I think."

She sighed, defeated.

"Fine. That settles it then." she monotoned.

"No, it doesn't" I said, dreading this next bit. "We still haven't addressed the issue of your place in the team."

She raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Robin is our martial arts master. Starfire will be 'muscle', once we meet her in Zandia. Cyborg is obviously our hacker. What are _you_ going to be? You'll have no powers, and you're no good in hand-to-hand combat, as we both know."

"What do you have in mind?" she asked, suspicious.

"Well…" I gulped. "Certain things are expected from top villains. Certain…eccentricities, if you like. Vices. It's usually drugs, alcohol or women…"

_Oh. Shit. She's got it and she's glaring already. I am SO dead._

"Yeah, well…" I bowed my head in shame. "Drugs are out of the question, of course. And alcohol…I get drunk very easily. And we can't afford for anyone to get drunk…Which means…"

Silence.

Raven's eyes reminded me of those of a cobra. There was a _murderous_ intent in there that made me shudder.

"When this is over," she hissed like a snake, "I will _so_ kill you."

* * *

_A/N:__ Last Update before Xmas!_

_**Ghostalker: **__Yep. It's the worst thing that can happen to a hero.  
I could give you another hint. But if I do, you _might_ guess who the villain is _before_ the time is right. Do you want me to? It'll spoil the suspense, I think…_

_**Xaleria:**__X and JS are quite alike. Cynical. Anti-heroic. Each of them with his own twisted code of rules (f.ex. No Killing.). It's no surprise that they get on each other's nerves; but there is still some sort of grudging respect for each other.  
Nope. YOU might know who The Lord is, but JS has never met him._

_**VV: **__Course I'm happy. Is there anything more satisfying for a writer than to have his readers stumped?  
(evil grin – Hannibal style)_

_**Spystory 007: **__Hey:-) I'm glad you like it.  
Do NOT call The Lord a 'scumbag'. That implies a certain…I don't know. 'Gangstery-ness'. 'Scruffy-ness'.  
Think 'cat'. Sleek. Smart. Deadly. Likes to play with its food. ;-)_

_MERRY CHRISTMAS!_

_-Phaethon, out.  
(leaves to buy a Xmas tree.)_


	11. Being Jealous, Being Rude

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

"John Smith. Well, I'll be damned. It's been awhile, boy." 

The old man leaned back on his folding chair and lit his pipe with a match. The flame flared like a nova in the darkness.

"It has." I agreed.

Dock 78 of Steel City harbor was more or less deserted; it was old and not frequently used and –as a result- in a state of wretched disrepair. The loading cranes were looming over us, silhouetted against the starry sky, their scaffolding rusty and decaying. The warehouses were in ruins. The old containers that had been abandoned on the dock sported big holes on their rusty sides.

Every city has its slums. Steel City is no exception.

"I got yer message." the old man said evenly. "It was a surprise."

"How so?" I asked.

"We haven't seen each other in…oh, it must be a couple of years now." he replied. "It seems strange to me that you suddenly remembered yer old friend, Lys."

"I need to get to Zandia, quickly and with no questions asked." I said. "Not much of a choice, is there? Old _Orca_ is probably the only ship that can get me there safely."

_Puff, puff, puff_ went the pipe. Lys's eyes glowed.

"Aye, that's still true." he conceded. "But still, I'd like to know where you've been."

"I did say no questions." I pointed out. "Let's just say I was…attending to some loose ends."

_Puff, puff, puff…_

"I'm sorry about Jason and the rest of the gang. I heard, you know."

I didn't answer.

"I heard you got the guy who did it. Beat him up real good. That true?"

I nodded, expressionless.

"Good. Serves the bastard right. They were decent folk. Good friends."

_Puff, puff, puff…_

"Who're your _new_ friends?"

I half-smiled.

"I _did_ say…"

"…no questions asked. Yeah, yeah. Right. But if they're gonna get on my ship, I need to know their names. It's the rules. You know the rules. More than my job's worth, not sticking to the rules."

_More than your _life's_ worth, actually._ I thought and nodded.

"Fine. This young lad…" I walked up behind Robin and placed a hand on his shoulder "…is Nightwing. That's it. Don't ask for his real name. I don't know it myself. He's told me that only three people have managed to find_that_ out and that he killed all three of them. Right mate?"

Robin loomed. His new black suit would have given E the creeps, but it made his looming very effective.

"This one" I continued, pointing at Cyborg, who was wearing the guise of a seven-foot-or-so Caucasian "is David Syrian. He's a bit…_odd_, poor man, but he is very good with numbers and machines."

_Puff, puff, puff…_

"What's he looking at?" Lys asked. "He's looking at my ship."

Cyborg didn't move. His eyes had a glazed look on them.

"Oh, he's probably counting the nails on the side of the ship or something." I said lightly. "He does that when he's bored or upset. Counts things."

"He can't be counting the nails on the side of the ship!" snorted Lys, blowing a cloud of smoke out of his nose. "It would take him…"

"A hundred and sixty-four thousand, three hundred and ninety-four." said Cyborg, his voice emotionless, like that of a robot.

Lys stared.

"I assure you he's right." I smiled. "He's _always_ right."

Lys rallied magnificently.

"Fine." he said. "What about the woman?"

_Ah._

I found looking at Raven and maintaining a cool head…_difficult_. She had taken up her role of…well…_escort_…with much whining and protesting, but…

Well, she should get an Academy Award for her performance.

_Heck, _she looked good in her simple black leather clothes. No cloak. Contact lenses. Her hair dyed black. She was a different person, altogether. But I could see Raven under the disguise and she was _fuming._

She still looked good.

"Ah." I said, moving closer to Lys. "Yes. I _knew_ we would hit that little…snag."

"What are you talking about boy?" he asked, his eyes darting over to Raven and back to me.

"Her name is Rachel." I said. "And we should talk about her."

"What about…? Hey! Wait! What the…?"

I had pulled one of my daggers and place the razor-sharp tip on Lys's neck. My eyes lit up with green flame.

"You will **not** touch her. You will** not** talk to her. You will _**not see **_her. She is not there. She is not for you."

My voice sounded like the cries of a thousand tormented souls. Lys's eyes widened and he tied to pull back, away from me, away from this…_creature_…that seemed to be ready to claw his heart out.

_Great. Now you've threatened an old friend. _an unbidden thought popped into existence inside my head. _Very good. You must be proud of yourself._

I let the magic die away. Lys was still staring at me, wide-eyed.

"I'm sorry." I said sweetly, my voice cheerful, but somehow containing a hint of menace that was hard to overlook. "I am a very jealous man, I'm afraid."

* * *

The bow of the _Orca _dove into a wave with a sound like an explosion. Water fountained up, washing over the deck. A couple of sailors who were busy scrubbing the deck cursed loudly. 

"Damn you, Wheels!" one howled to the bridge, although it was impossible for the helmsman to hear him at this distance. "Steer her _towards_ the waves, you green idiot!"

I buttoned up my waterproof rubber coat and stepped over to the railing. The _Orca_ was steaming happily away, ploughing a foamy path through the waves of the Atlantic, bringing us closer to Zandia every day. I still wasn't sure if I should be happy about that.

_It's like looking forward to entering the lion's den. _

_Crud._

Robin –or should I say Nightwing? –leaned on the railing next to me.

"We need to talk." he said.

I watched a seagull gliding next to the loading crane. It sat on a spar, a fish in its beak.

"What about?" I asked.

The seagull downed the fish in one piece.

"This ship. It isn't what it looks like, is it?"

I half-grinned.

"Whatever gave you that idea?"

"I've been down in the engine room." Nightwing replied. "The engines are…not working at their full potential."

"Oh…?" I raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure we are steaming in our top speed. Lys _did _say something about 'ahead full', or something of the sort."

He narrowed his eyes.

"These engines are General Electric LM2500-30, 100.000 HP gas turbines. They are used in Arleigh-Burke-class destroyers. I don't know where your friend got them, and I don't _want_ to know. But I _do _know that we're doing sixteen knots right now."

"Your point?" Batman would've been proud. Nightwing was quite a detective. In truth, I found it irritating. _Stupid know-it-all_...

"My point is that these engines could lift this tramp steamer out of the water. They cold make this ship go so fast, it would blow your ears off. _Why _are they not doing so?"

I sighed.

"This is a _smugglers' steamer, _Bird Brain. It's all about stealth. Being inconspicuous. Racing around at fifty knots would not qualify as inconspicuous. Don't you agree?"

"Then why bother with these engines?" Nightwing scowled. "They only use up space."

"Sometimes, you need to run." I replied, _very_ serious. "I'm hoping you don't get to see it."

* * *

My footsteps echoed in the corridor. Even below deck one could feel the swaying of the ship. The Orca was not a very _stable_ steamer. 

It had other qualities though.

I walked up to Raven's room and raised my hand to the steel bolts.

"_I'm telling you. She's __**hot**__ man!"_

I froze. The voice came from the next door. It was the room two sailors shared: Wheels, the newly recruited helmsman and Gil, one of the engineers.

"_I...the captain said..." _

That was Wheels.

"_Hang the captain! Here, have a look!"_

"_Listen, I...Smith he..."_

"_Oh, loosen up, for Chrissakes! Holy Mother...she's doing them yoga exercises again."_

Whatever handled the logical circuitry of my mind decided to go on a sabbatical. I was aware of two emotions: A blind wrath, the likes of which I had rarely experienced and a gut-churning fear.

_We've been sailing for ten days now. When did this start? How could I have missed it? What if they had noticed something?_

No matter. My logic kicked back in, powered by an ice-cold rage.

_I'll end this now. Make an example._

I knocked on the door and opened it, without waiting for an answer. I found Gil kneeling in front of a small hole in the wall that separated our rooms. Wheels lay on his bunk bed, looking apprehensive.

"Hello." I said, my voice even and slightly cheerful. "I'd like a word, if you please."

Wheels closed his eyes and shook silently, biting his lips. Gil just stared.

I pulled up the one chair in the small room and sat, crossing my legs and leaning back, relaxed.

"Nightwing told me he went down to the engine room." I said. "Said you let him look at the engines, Gil."

"Yeah. Right." Gil's voice was even too. I was surprised to find that he wasn't afraid of me, unlike the trembling Wheels.

"Good. Good." I held his gaze.

He had been caught red-handed, but he still met my eyes with an expression that showed...amusement. And a hint of contempt.

I sighed. _My infernal face, again._

It was a curse. It was the reason I had decided to grow a beard. I could assume the air of a top villain all I wanted; I could take on the JLA, even; but the fact remained: I had a boyish face. I was twenty-three, but I looked eighteen. True, there was a certain ruggedness, a kind of 'wear and tear' –my nose was broken, and my features had finally begun to turn bony. Still, few people saw behind the young face. It was a curse. I never managed to intimidate somebody without using my powers. Who would be intimidated by an eighteen-year-old boy?

No. They'd be _amused._

_Oh well. Here goes._

"Why is Wheels trembling?" I asked, showing surprise and concern. "Is he _cold?_"

_Easy does it. Take it easy._

"Cold?" Gil mused. "Yeah, maybe. Dunno. He's funny like that. Ha ha."

Silence.

"So, Mr. Smith. What can I do for ya?"

"There's a hole in the wall of my...friend's room" I said. My voice was cold.

"Oh, that's a pity." Gil deadpanned. "Really. We should plug it up."

_Just take it easy. A bit more power..._

"Yeah. You should." My voice was _ice_ cold.

Wheels's teeth were chattering now. He moaned and rocked back and forth.

"Your friend seems to be...in some discomfort." I observed. "He seems to be..._cold._"

The stress on the last word was important.

"Yeah." Gil shivered. "Hey, it _is_ kinda cold. The heating must have gone."

"Oh no." I smiled, only with my mouth. "It works just fine. It's still _cold..._"

Gil's lower jaw trembled. There was a hint of doubt in his eyes now.

"Hey." he said. "You're not..."

"I'm here to talk about a hole in a wall." I said icily. "I'd like it to be fixed."

Frost formed in the porthole in the wall. The light entering the room grew less. Gil reached for the electrical switch, but he pulled his hand back when he saw the green fire light in my eyes.

"You have been...rude, Mr. Gil." I hissed. "_Very _rude."

"_Cold..._" I heard Wheels's voice. "_So cold..._"

Icicles formed in the lower part of his bunk bed. Both of the crewmen's breaths came out in ragged gasps.

I leaned forward, the strange cold not affecting me. My eyes bored holes into Gil's. He shrank back, fearful.

"I_ don't like _rude people."

I reached down and grabbed him by the collar. He was a big man, bigger than me, but I pulled him up seemingly with no effort.

"You will plug that hole, Mr. Gil. You will do it _now._You will never,_ ever _be..._rude_ again. I will _know._Understand?"

"Y...es" his breath was freezing to the back of his throat.

_Enough, John._

Gil blinked. The sun was shining into his cabin. He was no longer cold.

He got up. Had all that been real? Smith wasn't there.

He met Wheels's eyes.

The fear inside them was all he needed to reach a decision.

He ran out of the room, in search of some steel sheet and paint.

I smiled and turned to Raven, who smirked and opened her book.

"My hero." she snorted.

* * *

_A/N:__ Last 2007 Update! _

_**Xaleria:**__No use in scanning SaM. All the clues are here, in WaH.  
Oh, and good luck with your HW._

_**VV: **__"…There's a tree in the Grand Hotel/ One in the park as well…"  
I love the Xmas holidays...!_

_**Ivy:**__Yup. She IS gonna be a (star star), actually. That is she is going to POSE as a (star, star), actually. Where '(star, star)' equals…'Escort'. 'Geisha'. 'Hetaira' (to stick to the Politically Correct terms). Or, my personal favorite, 'Painted Jezebel' (from Terry Pratchett's 'Small Gods'). _

_**Spystory 007: **__Good. I hope I don't disappoint you. And what's that nonsense about "insulting"? Do you ACTUALLY think I mind that you call my mystery villain a 'scumbag'? For God's sake…:-D_

_**Z.Brite: **__Is this soon enough? Please, please, please, don't cry! I have no idea how to deal with crying people…:-(_

_That's it, I think…_

_Oh, yeah…_

_One last thing…_

… _HAPPY NEW YEAR!_

_-Phaethon, out._


	12. The Run

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

"Sardinia. We're almost there, boy." 

_Puff, Puff, Puff._

"But the fun part is still ahead of us."

I grinned. The blockade run was the highlight of every smuggling trip to Zandia. Both the French and Italian governments were less than happy with the smugglers who were shipping goods to the little independent villain safe haven, right through their territorial waters. French and Italian destroyers and patrol boats were patrolling this part of the Mediterranean and they were manned by _very_ trigger-happy crews.

"I've been in touch with the traffic control in Zandia. They report two destroyers in the area. The _Vittoria _and the _De Gaule._"

I scratched my chin in thought.

"_De Gaule…_Isn't that Leclerc's ship?"

"Aye."

"Great." I smiled ferally. Leclerc was a legend. He was the only one who had ever managed to capture a smugglers' ship. It was an exploit he could be proud of; the blockade runners were not easy prey, and they nearly always fought back.

Lys mirrored my smile. "Aye. I know how you feel. It's a challenge, ain't it? I'd like to kick Leclerc's behind all the way to the bottom of the ocean, if possible. But let's not be reckless. He's good. Let's not go asking for trouble."

I shrugged.

"Is there any other runner around?" I asked.

_Puff, Puff, Puff…_

"Nope. None that I know of."

"Then he'll come after us, sure as hell. He's got satellites and air recon units. There's no way we'll be able to sneak through."

"Aye. That's true. But we'll try to, anyway."

* * *

"Any threes?" 

"Go fish."

"Damn!"

"Yep. Got any fours?"

"Oooo, happy fish, happy fish…"

"Grumble."

"Christ, this is boring."

"Yeah. Call it a draw and go up to the bridge?"

"Sure. Pack the cards up."

While Beast Boy gathered the cards into their cardboard box, I got up and stretched. The waiting was driving me _nuts. _

_Orca_ was pretty much dead-in-the-water, waiting for the OK from Zandia to try and run the blockade. Every sailor knew who we were up against and they were all…edgy. This was _definitely _not as funny as Lys had claimed it to be.

"OK. All set."

Beast Boy turned into a fly and buzzed up to my head. Then he changed again, turning into something even smaller, a flea or similar, that hid under my hair.

"Comfortable?" I asked and got a flea bite for thanks.

I made my way to the bridge and Lys nodded in my general direction when I opened the steel door. He didn't lift his eyes from the piece of paper he held, though.

"Bad news?" I asked.

_Puff, Puff, Puff…_

"Aye, you could say that." Lys sighed. "We have a problem. Leclerc sure knows we're coming. He asked for reinforcements and got them. There are two PT boats escorting the _De Gaule_ as we speak."

"Hmmm." I scanned the message and frowned. "Epee class? They don't have any heavy weapons. What is Leclerc up to?"

_Puff, Puff, Puff…_

"They're weak, but fast." Lys replied. "The old buzzard wants to have a couple of fast scavengers to keep up with us, if we decide to make a dash for it."

The old man didn't look very worried. Then again, I had never seen him really worried.

"So, what do we do?"

_Puff, Puff, Puff…_

"We oblige him." Lys tapped his pipe on an ashtray next to the steering wheel and refilled it. "There's no way we can sneak by him now, with three French ships out there. We'll have to punch a hole through the blockade and get into Zandia waters as fast as possible."

"Is _Orca_ up to it?" I raised a hand to cut him off, predicting his indignant outburst. "I_ know_ she's a good ship. But it's four-against-one, if you count in the_ Vittoria_ and you're up against the best hunter there is. Can you do it?"

"You must be thinking I'm getting soft in my old age, _boy_."

_**Puff, Puff, Puff…**_

"Never." I grinned. "Never, Captain."

* * *

The engines roared to life, the funnel spat out black smoke and _Orca_ was on the move. While other smugglers preferred to run the blockade during the night, Lys was always a day person. He relied heavily on good visibility to get him out of any mess he might run into. 

It had never failed.

So far.

_Puff, Puff, Puff…_

"There he is." Lys nodded towards the radar screen. The smugglers could afford the best equipment and the stealth hulls of the French ships showed up in our screens, clear as daylight.

Wheels, next to him bit his lower lip. It was his first run.

"I'll take over, Mr. Wheels, if you don't mind." Lys shoved the young helmsman out of the way and set his old calloused hands on the steering wheel.

It was _not_ his first run.

With a _click_ the ship's intercom sprang to life and the Captain's voice could now be heard from bow to stern. It was necessary: everything depended on the crew reacting promptly to their Captain's commands.

"We're running for it, gentlemen." Lys's voice was clear and firm. "Fasten your seat belts, NOW."

Wheels sat on a bench in the back of the bridge and tied a six-point seat harness around him. He was shaking like a leaf.

"You should join him." Lys said, scanning the instruments and computer screens in front of him. "This might get nasty…"

The door opened and the Titans stormed in. I barely suppressed a groan.

"What're them doing here?" Lys asked, startled. "What do they think this is, a free-for-all?"

"We're running the blockade?" Nightwing asked. "When?"

"Now." I replied, a bit gruff. "Sit down, next to Mr. Wheels, strap yourselves in and keep quiet."

Nightwing shot me an evil glare, but sat down. Cy and Raven joined him without a comment.

"What _is_ this?" Lys demanded. "Tell them to go back to their rooms!"

"Too late, sir." Wheels gasped, pointing at the radar screen. One of Leclerc's PT boats had broken formation and was cruising towards us. "We're spotted. We need to run _now, _and it's too dangerous to walk around the ship when we're…"

"I _know_ how to run my own ship, Mr. Wheels, thank you very much!" Lys snapped. He turned to the Titans. "Fine. You can stay here. But don't get in my way."

He reached for his intercom mic.

"Engines? Get ready. We're running any minute now."

"Shouldn't you be running already?" I mused, my eyes on the radar.

"No. I'm just a harmless tramp steamer."

"Leclerc knows you're not."

"Yeah, but he won't start shooting, until I start running. If I wait, I might yet sail a mile or two without him firing his Harpoons at us."

"OK, then. Can I help?"

"No. Sit down and be quiet."

I joined the Titans on the bench and sat next to Raven. As usual, she didn't show emotion, but I could tell she was edgy.

"It's OK." I whispered. "We'll get through."

"I hope we do, so I can kill you later." she replied.

The radio cracked to life.

"_Unidentified vessel, bearing SES, sector A39, this is the destroyer De Gaule. You are inside French territorial waters. Please cut your engines and prepare to be boarded for inspection. Failure to comply will force us to open fire. Message repeats: Unidentified vessel, bearing SES, sector A39, this is the destroyer De Gaule. You are inside French territorial waters. Please cut your engines_ IMMEDIATELY_ and prepare to be boarded for inspection. Failure to comply will force us to open fire. Message ends."_

"OK, here goes. Engines! Ahead full!" barked Lys in his mic.

The ship shuddered, from bow to stern. The distant humming and chug-chug noise of the engines rose in pitch, grew louder and turned into a continuous whine. There was a sensation no-one should ever feel in a boat larger than a race-boat: the g's of acceleration pressing one's back to his seat.

The bow of the _Orca_ shook, ploughed through the waves like a maddened horse through a crowd and then rose slowly out of the water, leaning on the hydrofoil fins that, until now had been hidden underwater. Once the bow was out, the ship shot forward like a bullet out of a gun.

Wheels '_Whooped_' like a child in a roller-coaster.

"Defense crews! Engage RAM systems!"

Down on the deck, two containers opened like flowers and two stubby rectangles telescoped out of them, dangerous-looking missile warheads sticking out of their sides. I heard Nightwing draw a sharp breath.

"Are these…?"

"Yep." I answered. "Standard runner equipment. We're gonna be under fire soon. Did you really think we would be defenseless?"

"_Motherf…_" gasped Nightwing.

"Yeees…" I said with a mean grin, Anthony Hopkins style.

An urgent beeping from a console made Lys blink and growl. He leaned over the steering wheel and pushed a number of buttons in a complicated order.

"Incoming?" I asked.

"Aye. Harpoon missile. Leclerc is shooting at us."

One of the RAM turrets whirred to life, turned a couple of degrees to the right and fired a missile. It met the Harpoon halfway between the ships and exploded; missile parts rained down to the sea.

The crew of the _Orca_ cheered.

I turned to the Titans and saw that Cyborg was pale as a corpse. Raven didn't seem at ease either. Only Nightwing was somewhat composed; edgy, but not scared. I reluctantly admired the kid's nerve.

"It's OK." I told Raven. "It's gone."

"Yes." was the only response I got.

I looked back at the radar; the PT boats were fanning out, trying to flank the _Orca._The smugglers' ship was fast, though; it would be a close thing.

The intercom clicked to life.

"_Fast propeller in the water!"_It was the sonar room, reporting to the bridge. _"Torpedo, torpedo, torpedo! Bearing 1-5-8, closing in, fast! Range 600!"_

Lys spun the wheel around and _Orca_ did a tight left turn, so tight that we all would have gone flying against the walls, were it not for our seat belts. Raven and Wheels turned green.

"Fire jammers!" Lys barked in the intercom.

I heard the distant _pok-pok-pok_ of the mortar tubes in the back. _Orca_ shot eight jammer charges in the water and turned again. The torpedo skimmed next to us, not fifty feet from our starboard side and hit a charge head-on. The explosion rocked the ship, but caused no damage.

"Shit!" Nightwing gasped. He was smiling like a maniac. I grinned inwardly.

_The kid is__ actually enjoying this!_

"You wanna play?" Lys growled. "Let's play, you barnacle-infested, good-for-nothing, frog-leg-eating son of a squid."

He turned the ship around and headed straight for the _De Gaule. _It was a move Leclerc would certainly not be expecting: his prey was supposed to be running away, not charging towards him! On the other hand…

…Why look a gift horse in the mouth?

_De Gaule'_s main cannon, a nine-inch gun, fired and the shot whizzed over _Orca'_s bow, raising a fountain of water where it hit the sea. The ship rocked on its hydrofoil fins, but it righted itself and sped on, leaving the PT boats behind in its wake.

_**Puff, Puff, Puff…**_

"Get the breezes ready!" barked Lys into the intercom. Wheels grinned. I laughed.

"You old bastard!" I chuckled. "How did you get your hands on such stuff?"

"'_Breezes_'?" asked Raven, still a bit green in the face.

"Smuggler's slang for Russian_ Skhval_ torpedoes." I explained. Nightwing and Cyborg both drew sharp breaths.

"_Skhval?!_" Cyborg exclaimed and Nightwing had to elbow him in the ribs to prevent him from blowing his cover. He was supposed to be a near-autistic computer genius, not an excited hi-tech nerd.

"Yep. Ι believe the actual translation is 'squall', not 'breeze'…" I chuckled. "Supercavitating, rocket-propelled torpedoes. They pack quite a punch."

"They pack more then _quite a punch!_" Nightwing growled. "Their warheads…"

"Aye, the originals were nuclear…" Lys admitted, never taking his eyes off the _De Gaule._ "But we removed the warhead. We're smugglers-not killers. They _still_ do pack a punch, though."

"_Incoming!_"

We were too close for Lys to avoid the shot. The RAM systems whirred frantically on their rotating bases and fired three shots in rapid succession. The shot from _De Gaule _was blown to bits, a couple of hundred feet away from the _Orca._

"Get ready…"

I could see the crew carrying the sleek silver torpedoes to their tubes on the deck. They slid them inside the launchers and retreated, giving a thumbs-up to the bridge.

"_Fire!_"

Both port and starboard torpedo tubes spewed forth plumes of gray, smoke-like gas. The torpedoes were gone faster than the eye could see. They entered the water with the ease of dolphins and descended to their cruising depth.

Propellers whirred to life and the 'fish' moved, accelerating, reaching their cavitating speed of 20 knots. Then, small gas valves at their tips spit out a bit of air, and for a couple of seconds, the torpedoes were inside two bubbles of gas, their propellers turning uselessly in thin air.

_WHOOOOOSH!_

The rear parts of the torpedoes were jettisoned, revealing rocket boosters. Flaps were extended, reaching outside the bubbles, to help steer the _Skhval._

With a noise like thunder, both torpedoes' engines sprang to life.

When running on their rocket boosters, _Skhval _can reach 200mph. The _De Gaule _didn't know what hit them.

Both torpedoes hit the French ship almost simultaneously, one tearing through their rudder and propellers and the other ramming against their hull, _very_ near to their engine room. There were no explosions; like Lys had said, the _Skhval _were warhead-less, but they still had the effect of battering rams.

The _De Gaule _almost flipped over because of the force of the double sledgehammers on its side. Its sirens yammered hysterically; we could hear them as the_ Orca _whizzed past the crippled destroyer. On the deck, sailors were jumping overboard.

"Idiots. Damn rookies." Lys mumbled under his breath. "It ain't so bad. They'll save the ship all right. Leclerc 'll make sure of that."

Raven closed her hand over mine and squeezed tight.

"These people...some of them could die. Some of them might be dead already. He killed them." she whispered, shocked. "How many people…?"

"I don't know." I whispered back. "Don't think about it. Wipe it away. Think it never happened."

"Is she OK?" asked Lys, handing the wheel back to…well, Wheels.

"Yeah." I answered. "A bit shaken. Seasick."

"Sorry." grinned Lys. "Go get some fresh air. We're safe now. We're through."

I pulled Raven to her feet and left the bridge as fast as I could, without actually running. Once on the deck and away from prying ears, she turned me around and planted an accusing finger on my chest.

"Is _that_ what you do? '_Pretend it never happened_'? Azar, are you listening to yourself?"

"No." I crossed my arms and scowled. "That's what _you_ should do. That's _not _what _I_ do. I don't _need_ to, anymore."

Silence.

"I've seen so much death in my life that it will take more than the drowning of a few unnamed sailors to keep me awake at night." I growled and hit the steel railing in helpless rage.

There was horror and a hint of revulsion in her eyes.

"_What?!_ What are you saying? Does a human life have no worth whatsoever for you?" she gasped.

I met her glare with a look that would have curdled milk.

"Don't _EVER._ Say that. Again." I hissed. "Were you even _listening?_Is _that_ what you understood? Is _that_ really what you think? That I don't care whether people live or die? I'd like to remind you that Slade is _still__ alive_, even though he murdered the people I thought of as family! I _treasure any _life. I've been saving lives for the last six months, if you didn't notice!"

The rage was gushing out of me in a very Un-Wraith-like manner. Smith was emerging, and he was very angry for having been cooped up for so long.

I bent forward, my nose an inch away from Raven's, my eyes fixed on hers. There was such tension, that any fly unlucky enough to fly between us at that moment would have died in instant immolation.

"I don't _like _death,_ little blackbird. _I_ loathe _death."

With a great effort of will, I turned my back on her and walked away, towards my cabin.

_But I'__ve grown used to it._

* * *

_A/N:__ Happy new year, everybody. Sorry for taking so long. I was VERY busy.  
_

_**Xaleria: **Nope. Not Slade. The guy is still paralyzed. And he (or she) is not one of Smith's old friends. They're all dead.  
That leaves your favorite... :-)_

_**VV: You changed your name! **No matter, you'll always be VV to me...:-P  
'Possesive' you say? You ain't seen nothing yet...  
_

_**Ghostalker:**__ Thanks! Here's ch12. _

_**Spystory 007:** Ah...I'm afraid he is a very jealous man...  
_

_**Reaver: **__Zandia, next chapter..._

_ Voila. That's it. Now, review, or I'll set Leclerc loose on you! _

_-Phaethon, out._


	13. Lucky Number Thirteen

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

Dusk. 

The lights of Zandia were a sight for sore eyes. There was only one city on the island and, come nightfall, it sparkled in all the colors of the rainbow. Searchlights stabbed the sky, Las Vegas style, visible from miles away.

_Orca_ entered Zandia harbor like the prodigal son, returning to his father's home. All blockade runners were hailed as heroes in Zandia; even more so when the blockade runners in question had just shamed the best hunter around. The docks were lined with people, most of them supervillains. Fireballs and other fancy power-work exploded over the _Orca,_a beautiful display of fireworks. The _Orca's _crew leaned over the railing and whooped in response; Wheels stood on the bow and spread his hands, screaming "I'm the king of the woooorld!" at the top of his voice. I couldn't help but grin. It was so long since I had felt this…this _joy_ of a job well done. I felt _alive _again. Only then, after six months of hero work, could I realize how much I had missed being the prey and not the hunter. It was…_disturbing_ in a way.

Then I remembered that there, in Zandia, I was the prey, whether I liked it or not. And the sight of the screaming crowd on the docks brought a chill down my spine.

_They are cheering. But they could be jumping for your throat. It'll only take one slip-up, one wrong move, and you'll be history, Johnny. Remember that. These people, are no longer your family. No matter how much you _want_ them to be. _

The _Orca _reached the mole; ropes were thrown from ashore. Gangplanks were lowered and the crew stormed out, the crowd receiving them in frenzy. And while the cranes of the _Orca_ unloaded the smugglers' cargo, the jubilant crewmen were embraced by three young ladies each. I couldn't keep the grin off my face after that.

I walked down to the dock, the Titans following me closely. I waved a goodbye to Lys, who was stoically smoking his pipe on the bridge, and approached the small in-traffic shed: the closest thing Zandia had to a customs house.

The man behind the counter was in his late forties, fat and bald; the classic image of security guards blessed with desk jobs, all over the globe. He focused on me with some difficulty, his myopic gaze sizing me up.

"Whaddaya want?" he asked.

"Just arrived." I replied. "Wanna register myself and my team. Oh, and three vehicles."

"Right." He gathered a few forms and handed them over. "Fill these up. And what kind of vehicles are we talking about here?"

"That kind." I pointed.

The_ Orca _had just finished unloading our wheels. They sure attracted attention.

The T-car was hard to miss: it had received a new coat of (black) paint and now shone like a vision. Kitt…? the Batmobile…? _Pah_._This_ was a car. A circle had formed around it; people stared at it, goggle-eyed. But the real stars of the show were the two bikes.

Nightwing's N-Cycle was, in a word, _evil._ It was painted matte-black, nothing more than a shadow on the asphalt. The headlights were a _nasty_ electric blue color. Two blade-like spoilers ran the length of the bike, like a pair of bat's wings, folded on its back.

And then, of course, there was my own set of wheels, my trusty silver-gray GBM, looking deceptively bulkier and stubbier than the N-Cycle. I knew form experience, though, that it was more than a match for Bird Brain's ride. Especially after Cyborg had tinkered with it for a while.

"Ah…" the customs clerk swallowed. "Interesting. Right. Three vehicles. Check."

_Right._

"Is the _'Thirteen'_ still doing business?" I asked him, filling out the forms.

He blinked and focused back to me.

"Huh? The _'Thirteen'_ ? Oh. Oh yes. Yes. Still the best around."

_Good. Very good._

"There." I returned the forms and smiled pleasantly. "Are we done here?"

"Yes. Yeah. Sure."

"Good. Let's go. Rachel, get in the car. David, you're driving her. Follow me, everybody."

* * *

The_'Thirteen' _was the oldest and most expensive hotel in Zandia. 

No. That's not right. It wasn't quite a _hotel_…

More like a club. For the crème de la crème…

There were rules. You couldn't just walk in and order a room. Nope. You had to be one of the G13, the top thirteen villains around (hence the name of the place). Once you got your room(s), you could enjoy the facilities to your heart's content. For free.

No, really.

Of course, there were sponsors. Most head honchos _liked_ to donate to the establishment. It showed you had…_class_. And money to spare, of course. And, since it was up to the manager of the _'Thirteen'_to judge whether you were one of the G13, donating a decent sum would _definitely_ help you get a room.

Unfortunately, my bank accounts had been sucked dry. I had not taken up an assignment for the last six months, after all. So, the 'Generous Donation' approach was out of the question. There were other ways though.

We drove our rides up to the very door of the _'Thirteen'_ and left them. There were two guys with sparkly green uniforms, in charge of parking cars and bikes, but I knew that, until we got our rooms, they would not acknowledge our presence.

"Now, this is _important._" I hissed to the Titans, as we entered the huge steel-and-glass building. "This is a top-class establishment. You are expected to behave accordingly. That means _no looming_, Bird Brain. And no getting into fights. _And no ordering pizza!_"

The lobby was empty; our footsteps echoed off the marble walls. On our right, the glass door to the restaurant; on our left, the lounge and bar.

A skinny butler-like fellow, with a _very_ black suit looked up as we approached the reception desk.

"Good evening. How can I be of service?"

He had a British accent. His voice was friendly, but his face expressionless. I was reminded of Raven on a good day.

"First of all, we'd like a G13 clearance confirmation."

"Yes, sir." He turned to his computer. "Your name?"

"John Smith."

His eyes darted up from the computer screen and met mine. His expression never changed, but I felt him grow tense.

"John Smith you say?"

"Yes."

He turned back to the screen and tapped a few keys.

"Ah. Yes. Originally a member of Jason Saunders's team?"

"Yes."

"The team was disbanded two years or so ago?"

"Yes."

He tapped a few more keys and sighed.

"I'm sorry, sir, but…"

I smiled pleasantly.

"…But you cannot approve my G13 clearance." I finished for him.

"I'm sorry." he said. "Your record is…bleak. Your...associates are unknown to us. There can be no doubt that you have great potential…"

_That was one of the phrases they used to keep you from getting angry._

"…but you have not accomplished enough to be accepted as a G13. Sorry."

_And that is what they say when they want you to leave._

"I see." I smiled. _We are all civilized people here. We may rob and kill and brutalize others for a living, but we're quite decent folks. We're certainly no barbarians. We can work this out without unnecessary violence. _"But there, I think, you have made a mistake."

"Oh?"

"Yes…" I leaned on the reception desk. "I understand that it is your policy to accept as G13 anyone who has defeated another G13. Is that true?"

"Ah." The receptionist's face was still expressionless, but his voice was slightly sour. "Yes. That is indeed so."

"And I believe that Slade Wilson is a G13?"

"Yes indeed…" the receptionist replied. "Currently, he is G3, to be exact."

"Who are G1 and G2?" asked Nightwing, his voice a low growl.

"Shut up, Nightwing." I said in sugary sweet tones, my eyes never leaving the receptionist's, my smile never leaving my face. "None of your business. I doubt if this gentleman is at liberty to say, am I right, sir?"

"Yes…" The receptionist replied, glaring at Nightwing. "I'm not."

"My…associate didn't mean to be rude." I apologized.

"Quite all right." the receptionist huffed.

"Thank you. If we could return to the business at hand? I claim a G13 clearance. By right of…shall we say…_conquest_."

The receptionist sighed.

"You claim to have defeated Slade Wilson?"

"Yes. Do you need confirmation?"

"No." he sighed again. "We had already heard…rumors. We can confirm this officially later on. You are aware of the…consequences…if the confirmation fails, though?"

_What do you think?_

"Of course."

"In that case…"

His fingers danced on the keyboard and the computer beeped happily. A dot-matrix printer next to him sprang to life and spat out a length of paper.

"Good." he looked at the paper, nodded, satisfied, and tore it out, handing it to me. "Your clearance code for our facilities. I will make sure your vehicles are parked somewhere safe. Now, about your rooms, sir?"

"Three rooms, if you please. Two of them with double beds and one with a single one."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Are you expecting company?"

"Yes." I nodded. "There will be a…lady here, shortly. She will probably be using the name 'Blackfire'. Please, let us know when she arrives."

That made five of us and he nodded, satisfied. "Rooms 301 to 303, if you please. Do you have any luggage?"

"Inside the boot of the car. Please have it brought up."

I left the keys to the GBM on the desk and both Nightwing and Cyborg did the same with their keys; I could see that they weren't happy though. No matter. The rides would be safe. The park-boys of the_'Thirteen' _were used to driving supervillain cars. They knew better than to push any red buttons.

* * *

"Right." I slid the key-card down the lock and opened the door with a sigh of relief. "Great. A bed that doesn't bank and move with every wave." 

"Don't be too hasty." Raven's voice was cold. "This is _not_ your bed."

"Huh?" I eyed the big double bed with some apprehension.

"This is _my _bed._You _will sleep with Robin."

I paled.

"Oh God…"

"It's right next door. Chop chop…"

I fell to my knees.

"_Please!_ No! _Anything _but that."

"Move it, buster."

"I'll sleep on the floor!"

"It's up to you, of course. You _can _sleep on the floor. But not _my_ floor."

I rose, head bowed in defeat.

"You are a _cruel _woman."

"You have _no _idea."

* * *

_A/N: Short-ish chapter, just to keep things moving._

_ Poor Smith. What a shot-down. :-P  
_

_ O.O WTF? I got new reviewers, and one of them is...overly enthusiastic. I'm talking about **Saint H, **of course. Listen, there is **absolutely **no way I can respond to ALL your reviews :-P Let me just say this: thanks a lot. It means a lot that you thought this good enough to review with such...enthusiasm. And humor.  
And I hope you stick around 'till the end_

_ **Lady Of The Celestial Moon: **Thank you very much. I'll do my best._

_**Ivy: **Hey. Yes. You both like X. :-P And thanks. Glad you liked it. Next action scene in the upcoming chapter (I think)._

_**Xaleria:** I'll contact Lys and ask him if Orca is for sale XD_

_ **Kyle: **Thanks. _

_Aaaaaand...**Ghostalker: ** I know you like technology XD. And I know what you mean 'bout the chapter being short. I'm working on a REALLY long one this time.  
Oh. And don't worry: I'll review Eventuality soon. Sorry for taking so long. _

_**leyi: **Thanks. And you might be right, Raven might be a little OOC. Sorry about that. The fact is, the image of the canon Titans is a bit blurry in my mind, after writing a RaeXOC for so long._

_ **VV: **Ouch. Sorry about that. __Reminds me of the time my dad ran over a fox. __Hope it wasn't YOUR dog.  
And I know what you mean by 'Vampire phase' :-P _

_Next chapter is a whopper, and I have a very busy schedule, so it might take up to a month :-(  
Sorry, everybody. Don't despair, though (heroic pose). John Smith shall return (with a Kick-a.. action scene). _

_Cheers, everybody!  
-Phaethon, out. _


	14. Mother

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans, nor the song. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

"I'm_ hungry!_" 

"Shut up."

"But my stomach hurts…"

"BB, not so loud!"

A yelp. A curse.

I sighed, opened the door to Cy's and BB's room and stepped in. Cyborg was trying to clamp BB's mouth shut, while the elf was furiously trying to find some fleshy part on his friend hand that he could sink his wolfish teeth in.

"Both of you, shut it, _NOW_!" I growled.

BB turned back into a human and looked sheepish. Cyborg scowled.

"But I'm hungry." BB whined.

"So?" I raised an eyebrow. "Cyborg can call Room Service. There's no need to yell. Don't forget that only Cy is supposed to be staying in this room –if somebody hears your voice we might get into trouble."

"I _know! _Do you think I'm stupid, or something?" Beast Boy whined. "But he doesn't want to order some tofu for me…"

I slapped my forehead in frustration. Not _that_ old routine…

"Just_ get him some tofu._" I growled. "And then, when he's eaten up, get ready. The rest of us would like some dinner as well."

* * *

"Right. I'll say it again. This is a _top class _establishment. I expect to see some decent table manners. And BB, I _know_ you can hear me, don't even _think_ about doing something that might compromise our cover in any way." 

I led the way into the restaurant of the _Thirteen,_the Titans right behind me. Waiters in dark suits bowed as we entered and the _maitre d_' hurried to our side.

"Table for four?" he asked in the oily voice of the _maitres d'_ all around the globe.

"Five, actually." I answered, surveying the room. There were only two other tables occupied –one by two ladies in their early forties and the other by a mobster-like looking fatso in his fifties. "We're expecting a friend and she might arrive anytime now."

"Of course. Please, follow me."

We were led to a table, close to a window overlooking the _Thirteen_ grounds, a cliff, and then the sea. The _maitre d' _pulled back Raven's chair and got a glare for his pains. I couldn't hold back a smile. Other waiters arrived with menus, bread and assorted paraphernalia.

"I shall leave you to decide." the _maitre d'_ said, still shaken a bit from Raven's glare.

"Thank you." I answered and scanned the menu.

"What_ are _these things?" Cyborg whispered. "I can't understand what this is all about! What is _sole a la…_"

"Shut up." I hissed. "Just get something."

"This one will be to your liking." Raven offered, pointing somewhere on his menu. "It'll be even better with _this_ wine."

I grinned. _Who would have thought?_

* * *

"Ah." 

_(Sigh)_

"This is the life."

"_Quite_ satisfactory."

We leaned back on our chairs, Cyborg sporting an idiot grin, Raven smiling contently. It had been a _long_time since my last high-class dinner. I should _really_ consider a date with Raven in a similar establishment (once we returned and I had earned enough money to be able to _afford_ it).

"Starfire's late." Nightwing said. He looked a bit worried.

"Don't worry." I said. "She'll be here."

Cyborg smiled, raised his wine glass for a sip…

…and very nearly choked.

"What the…?" I leaned forward, concerned.

"_Look!_" He pointed at the door. I turned on my seat…

Dr. Chang…

…With four bodyguards…

…had just. Walked. In.

Raven shuddered, Cyborg glared and Nightwing, though quite still, gave a small grimace that suggested a certain green flea in his hair had just bit down hard in surprise and anger.

"Don't even _think _about it!" I hissed to both Raven and Cyborg, who were ready to leave their seats. "Get back down! _NOW!_"

The_ maitre d' _had approached Chang and was saying something…

"We can't just let him…" Cyborg protested.

"_Yes. We. Can._" I growled and glared at him. "If we attack him, we break one of the basic rules of Zandia: _No attacking each other. _This requires…"

"_Tact._" Raven suggested and got to her feet. "When he looks at you, smile."

She walked up to Chang, who was being led to his table and spoke to him. He seemed surprised and his bodyguards glowered at Raven, but she smiled _(creepy!) _and pointed to our table. We smiled and Chang returned our grin, displaying rotting teeth.

He and Raven made their way back to our table and my hair rose to an end when I saw her walking with a certain…_bounce_…in her step.

Her eyes were cold as ice, but Chang wasn't looking.

"This is the well known Professor Chang." she said when she approached and, if the Titans were shocked to hear the cheery tone in her voice, they were smart enough to hide their shock. "I told him that he simply _must _sit with us. Do you mind, John?"

I smiled an accommodating smile. "Of course not, Rachel. We would all be honored." I turned to the _maitre d' _"The Professor will dine with us."

I gestured towards Starfire's empty chair. "We were expecting a…colleague, but she is late. Have a seat, Professor, please."

"Don't mind if I do." Chang answered, his voice raspy and hoarse. "How could I say no, when asked to by such a pretty creature?"

He smiled at Raven, a lecherous old man's smile and I swore that, just for that, I'd break both his nose and his spirit.

"Tell us, Professor." I said as a waiter arrived with Chang's menu. "What new accomplishment can we expect form you in the near future? I must say that I was impressed with that xinothium-powered ray-gun you developed."

"Oh,_ that._" Chang laughed, returning the menu with his order. "That is all in the past, Mr. Smith. I am currently working on genetics."

"Really?" Nightwing's voice was colder than it should be, but Chang didn't notice.

"Oh yes. Genetic Tailoring. Marvelous. But I can't say any more. Top Secret, you see. I work for The Lord!"

"How_ very _interesting." Raven said. I could hear the self-disgust in her voice, but Chang only got the fascination.

"Yes, isn't it?"

"Very."

"Indeed."

"Hmm…"

His bodyguards had got a table not far from ours. They were glaring at his back, vigilant, but they were too far away. They just didn't know it.

"_Gaia, Aerion, Menthos!" _I chanted under my voice.

"What?" asked Chang.

"Nothing." I smiled. "Tell us more about this job of yours, Professor."

He laughed. "Oh, no! I really can't say anything more. Why don't_ you _tell me why you are here? Vacation? Recr…"

He paused. Invisible fingers touched his neck.

"I thing you misunderstood me, Professor." I smiled. "I'm not exactly _asking _you to talk. I'm _telling_ you to."

"What…"

He had gone pale, but his bodyguards couldn't see it. They were sitting behind him. They could only see our smiling faces.

"Don't do anything foolish, Professor." I warned him. "My Wraith could kill you in an instant. Or slowly. Will it have to?"

He shook his head, no.

"Wraith…" he whispered. "Wraith… Of course!"

_Shit._

"Yes, yes." I sighed tiredly. "You got me. I'm Wraith. We're the Titans in disguise. Now _TALK…_" I lowered the volume of my voice into a growl but kept the smile pasted on my face "…or you're history. Geography. Whatever."

"The Titans…" Chang's eyes widened in surprise. He looked from Nightwing, to Cyborg, to Raven and laughed, softly. Raven scowled.

"…And you, my dear." Chang was smiling. He shouldn't be smiling. "Oh, I must say, your DNA was a challenge. Such potential!"

"You're playing with fire." I warned him. "Don't piss _her_ off."

"Or_ what_?" Chang's eyes hardened. "You'll kill me? You're the Titans! You _don't _kill, by definition. All I have to do is cry out."

I put my hand flat on the table. Then I raised my palm and formed a claw with my fingers. I saw him stiffen, as Wraith's phantom fingers dug into his skin.

"All_I_ have to do is squeeze." I said.

Silence.

"I'm not a Titan." I said. "Never was. Deep down, I mean. I worked for them. I worked _with _them. I _lived_ with them. I even fell in love with one of them." I glanced at Raven who looked at me, somewhat shocked. "But I'm _not_ a Titan. I probably never will be. I don't _think_ like one, I don't_ feel _like one."

I tightened my hold _(Wraith's hold)_ on his neck.

"You think I won't kill you?" I hissed. "_Watch me._ _Now TALK, _damn you!"

Silence.

"I was hired sixteen months ago." Chang said.

"Yes…?" I urged him.

"I was…I _am_… in charge of the genome decoding. We find out what every gene does."

"Go on…"

"Killer Moth does the final sequencing. He's…good at it. He…"

"Enough." I cut him off. "This is a waste of time. Three questions. Who is 'The Lord'? Where can we find him? Where is this sequencing lab?"

"The lab…is on Mount Arriman. It's a secure area…The Lord's house is right on top of it… He wanted to keep…an eye on us." Chang was sweating. "Listen, I'll need protection. I'll…"

"Keep talking." Nightwing growled.

"You don't understand…He'll kill me…he'll…" he was rubbing his hands together nervously.

"_TALK!"_

Nightwing's hand darted across the table, got a grip on Chang's and pulled up the sleeve of his suit. On his wristwatch, a red light was blinking on and off.

Chang grinned, a manic grin.

"Too late. I've called her. You're too late."

Like a bad dream, I looked over to the bodyguards. They were frozen in place, staring at the blinking red light like it was their death sentence.

Slowly, I turned to look at the door.

A girl was there.

She didn't look older than eight years old, but she was dressed in a long, black, leather-y gown, that hugged her small figure and reached down to her feet, trailing a bit on the floor. Her skin was pale; grey, even. Her hair was purple.

Her eyes were a deep, glowing, bloody red.

"Eve!" Chang cried and got up. "Thank God! It's them! I didn't say anything, but…"

The girl moved. She opened her mouth. Inside, a cyclone of black magic and fire was raging.

_holymothergodohgoddamnwhatthehellisthis…?_

Nightwing's reflexes saved us. He catapulted onto Cyborg, laid him flat on the floor, fell next to him and with his foot turned the table over, so that it somehow shielded us all from…

…the blast that came across the room, setting everything on fire, cracking the marble floor, breaking the glass of the windows, hitting Chang, lifting him off his feet…

It hit the wall and dissolved, leaving nothing but a pile of ash, were the Professor once was.

"**Hhhe isss NOT pleassssed."**

We peered over the top of the table. The girl's voice was like a rasp on wood, inside an echoing underground chamber. Demonic.

Raven, her face pale as death, reached under the strands of her hair and pulled out a small, silvery, bluetooth-like device.

The psychic dampener.

The girl turned to look at us. She sniffed, her nostrils widening, tracking a scent.

Silence.

"**Motherrrrrr…"**

_Shit._

* * *

For a few seconds, none moved. 

Then, all hell broke loose.

The girl –'Eve' Chang had called her- darted forward, not walking as much as gliding over the floor, past the stunned bodyguards. She jumped.

She landed on the upturned table and gave a screech that nearly busted our eardrums, displaying row upon row of sharp pointed teeth.

"_**Motheeeeeeeeeeerrr…"**_

I saw the look in Raven's eyes.

I Blinded the bodyguards, and everybody else in the room.

Raven flicked her fingers.

The blast of raw magic lifted Eve off her feet and against the wall, twenty feet away.

"I'm_ not _your_ MOTHER!_" screamed Raven, and her face shifted, blurred and…

…_four red eyes, glaring, her body changing into a pillar of dark smoke…_

I grabbed her.

Cyborg grabbed Nightwing. We dove off the broken window and hit the lawn underneath, rolling away from the building just as part of the wall exploded in a shower of dust and debris.

Eve glided out, fire dancing around her mouth.

Raven raised a hand, black magic pulsing around her fingers, her face a mask of rage. I grabbed her hand and ran, dragging her behind me.

"Don't fight –_RUN!"_ I screamed. "We can't fight her here!"

"Why not?" she growled.

"Because we have to hide your powers!" I growled. "I hid them in the restaurant, but I can't Blind the entire city! We need to run! Somewhere where we won't be seen!"

_Where the HELL is the Parking space? _

We tore through a hedge and then, suddenly, there was concrete under our feet and shiny cars all around us.

_YES!_

"Get on the car!" I growled and pushed her into Cyborg's arms. Nightwing ran past me, jumped, landed on his bike and started the engine by pressing his finger on a sensor next to the key slot.

"She's right behind me!" he screamed.

I turned and there she was, a thing out of a nightmare, her eyes burning red, her mouth hanging open in a shark grin.

She raised her hand.

My blast of pure fear got to her before she could summon her magic. She winced, hissed, spat like an angry cat, shrugged my attack off like it was nothing and jumped.

Beast Boy rammed into her from the side, his tiger's claws slicing through her gown and waist…

…She howled like a banshee, threw him off and pressed her hand against her wounds…

…a flash of blue magic…

…The bleeding stopped…

…I mounted my bike and started the engine…

…Beast Boy charged her again and she fell on all fours to meet his attack, her fingers turning into claws, her teeth growing to match his fangs…

…I flipped a switch, near the throttle and a part of the exhaust jumped open, revealing a hidden compartment…

…Beast Boy and Eve were fighting like demons, claws flashing and teeth clashing…

…I reached into the compartment and pulled out one of Jason's _Viper_ Uzis…

…Beast Boy turned one of his attacks into a perfect bitch-slap, which threw Eve against the hood of a parked Porsche…

…She hissed, got to her feet…

…and her gown _moved,_opened, and became a pair of wings –black bat's wings…

…She screeched that hellish screech of hers again…

…Beast Boy cowered, his tiger's ears pressed against the top of his head…

…I fired.

The first shot got her in the left shoulder. The second in her right thigh. She staggered back and leaned on the Porsche.

I revved the engine, flanking the T-Car as it sped towards the Parking's exit. Beast Boy roared and Raven rolled down the back window –he turned into a sparrow and flitted inside.

Eve hissed, righted herself, saw us speeding towards her and opened her mouth, the fire licking her teeth.

I raised the Viper one last time and emptied the clip on her.

She howled and fell, blue sparks already dancing around her. She was healing herself, but now we had our chance. The T-Car blasted through the Parking's exit, closely followed by the two bikes.

_Which way John? Think, think, think! If we go left, we'll end up in the city. Not good. _

"Right!" I yelled, hoping that Cyborg would hear me. "Drive right! Take the scenic route to Kali!"

I don't know if he heard me or not, but he turned right. _Good._This road was rarely used –Kali was pretty much a ghost town on the other side of the island.

I fumbled inside my pocket and pulled out my communicator, plugging it in the bike's com system. It auto-dialed the T-Car's number.

"Everyone OK?" I asked, fixing my hands-free headset on my ear. "BB, how are you?"

"Bitch!" I heard BB's response and grinned. "What kind of weirdo…"

The sound of a brief struggle and some muffled exclamations.

"John?"

"Yes, little blackbird?"

"She's following us."

I snapped my head around so fast I thought I would break my neck. Raven was right. There were three bikes and a car following us, and I could feel Eve's aura closing in.

_Curse that bitch!_

"We can take 'em!" came Nightwing's voice in the intercom. "Three bikes? Piece of cake!"

"Yeah." That was Cyborg. "Just let them get close to my baby and…"

"Can I use my powers yet?" came Raven's annoyed drone.

"_WATCH IT!" _Nightwing screamed.

One of the motorcycle riders had produced a rocket launcher. It was long and black and evil-looking.

"I got it!" I yelled and threw a Veil up.

At least, I _tried_ to.

The monster I had fought in the sewers had a _mean_ counter-magic aura. Eve's was even _better_. I felt my attack bounce off the mental shields she had put around herself and her minions, like an arrow bounces off a tank's armor.

_Think, think, think!_

"Get closer to me!" I yelled and the T-Car moved next to my bike. Beast Boy opened the back door, despite Cyborg's protest.

I accessed the GBM's AI just as the motorcycle rider finished aiming his rocket launcher. I flipped the controls over to 'Auto-drive' and jumped.

He fired.

I landed inside the T-Car, on top of Beast Boy _(Ouch!)._

The GBM swerved, balanced itself on its gyros, fell back, engaged full rear brakes, skidded, turned its broadside towards the pursuers, shielding the T-Car…

And got hit.

The explosion rocked the T-Car, even though we were already six hundred feet away. The GBM disappeared in a red fireball that lit the night. Motorcycle parts rained all around. What would have happened if that rocket had hit the T-Car, I dreaded to think.

_My bike…_

"You sick _BASTARD!"_ I yelled, getting off Beast Boy and looking back with a tear in my eye. "Do you have _any_ idea what that cost me?"

"JOHN!" Raven's voice was full of concern. "Are you all right?"

"No." I cried. "My bike! My _beautiful (sob) _bike!"

"If_ that's _how you felt about it, than it's better off gone." she said, her voice dripping with the usual sarcasm. "Can I use my powers yet?"

The T-Car turned sharply to the right and I realized we were 'round the Kali cape –out of view of Zandia city. I grinned nastily.

"Go ahead, dear."

"_Right."_

She motioned and the top of the T-Car was twisted apart, like the top of a sardine box. Cyborg stared, horrified as she stood, looking back towards our pursuers, her hair whipping in the wind.

"Maybe you should get out of my way." she yelled to Nightwing, who nodded and overtook the T-Car.

Raven's eyes glowed white.

"Azarath, Metrion…"

Beast Boy chuckled and covered his ears. "Ouch."

"…_ZINTHOS!_"

The road- the very _asphalt-_ glowed black and cracked. Concrete, pebbles, rocks, _trees –everything _rose into the air and flew towards Eve's car.

A black shield materialized around it.

The hailstorm of debris reached the car, hit the shield and ricocheted off. Two bikers lost control of their rides and fell –one of them quite a long way, down the cliffs and to the sea. The other got behind the car just in time.

Raven growled, irritated.

"_Trigon damn_ that bitch." she hissed.

Eve's car swerved wildly, maneuvered round the craters left in the road and took up the pursuit once more. Its top opened like the T-Car's and I saw Eve stand up.

Her wings unfolded.

She leaped into the air and _flew_ –she didn't _levitate,_like Raven does. Trust me, there's a difference. This was a creature of the air, finally in her own element.

I couldn't hold back a gasp of fear.

_God help us…_

She was too far away for me to see the _actual_ flames in her mouth, but I saw the _fireball_ allright, coursing towards us like a meteor, hitting the road a hundred feet in front of the T-Car, forcing Cyborg to slam his foot on the brakes.

The T-Car screeched to a halt a few feet away from the gaping hole in the road. Nightwing stopped his bike next to us.

We got off. _This is it_.

The car and the bike came round the bend, their headlights blinding us.

Raven raised a forcefield across the road.

_SCREEEEEEEE…_

…_WHAMM!_

The car hit the black wall doing at least 40 mph, and was flattened against it instantly. The bike managed to break –hard- and avoided its friend's fate.

_WHUMMMMM!_

The car blowing up was a spectacular sight. The Titans stared, horrified, as the flames climbed high into the night…

…Eve came flying and screeching through the smoke.

She landed with a blast of magic that lifted us all off our feet. Beast Boy and Cyborg landed hard on the T-Car's hood. Nightwing hit the mountain slope on our right and recovered almost instantly, his bird-a-rangs at the ready. I rolled on the ground, wishing for the safety of SHROUD and Raven…

Raven charged Eve, screaming like a lunatic.

Tentacles of magic flailed in all directions; magic blasts pulverized rock and road as the two sorceresses met. Raven, in her demonic form, hissed and spat like an angry cat, or a snake; Eve on the other hand screamed defiance and met Raven's magic attacks head on.

Raven scored the first hit; Eve was rammed against the cliff side, rose into the air, held by a black tentacle and was finally catapulted into the smoking pile of scrap iron that had been her car.

She got up, brandishing a long piece of steel like a club, her magic surrounding it in a black halo.

Raven got hit, twice. She rolled on the ground, clearly winded, changing back into her human form.

Eve jumped, holding her club like a sword, aiming to skewer Raven into the ground.

The starbolt hit her from the side, badly burning her right wing. Before she could react –she didn't even have time to scream- Starfire had rammed into her, finishing her attack with a punch that would have made Superman proud.

"You will _not _hurt my friends!" she screamed.

Eve slid down to the ground, coughed out blood and groaned –a long, agonizing sound. Then, she scrabbled back up, and glared at Starfire.

There was murder in her eyes.

"Titans…_GO!_" came Nightwing's battle cry and we charged.

Cyborg got to her first, his fist reaching back and descending like the wrath of God.

Eve caught his fist with one hand, and kicked him in the face.

_Too late, bitch!_

My Haze was in place; not as effective as a Veil, but not as tiring either. Cyborg _blurred,_his shape twisting and changing like a Fata Morgana and Eve's kick sailed wide. Nightwing came next, knocking her down with a well-aimed kick in the back of the head and freezing her to the asphalt with one of his disks; she used her breath of fire to melt her way out.

Starfire swooped low and charged one of her starbolts.

Eve motioned and the world exploded in a whirlwind of magic that knocked us all off our feet.

_Ow. Ow. Ouch._

I saw Nightwing slide over the edge of the cliff and reached out to grab him; my hand closed 'round his wrist but the kid was knocked out. He was just a dead weight –he wasn't _trying_ to get back up.

_Great. Now we're _both_ sitting ducks. _

_Situation assessment. NOW._

I craned my head back. Raven was out. Starfire as well; a nasty burn ran down her right side. Beast Boy was moaning and crawling aimlessly along the ground. Eve's magic blast had cost Cyborg an arm and a leg _(ha, ha. Great, John. Beast Boy is rubbing off on you). _

Eve was still standing, sniffing the air.

She saw me struggling to pull Nightwing back up.

She smiled.

_Oh SHIIIIIIIT!_

She raised a hand wreathed in black magic.

The rocket hit her just above the waist and took her with it. She was lifted off her feet, her wings flailing desperately, but to no avail. She sailed a few inches over my face and I could see her look of baffled astonishment.

The rocket drove her a few hundred feet, off the cliff and over the sea, before it exploded in a beautiful fireball that reminded me of the fireworks in Jump City on the fourth of July.

I craned my head around.

Beast Boy sat limply on the asphalt, leaning against the T-Car, the biker's rocket launcher still smoking in his hands. He had a dreamy, faraway look in his eyes but his jaw was set in a determined expression.

"Heal_ that, _bitch." he growled.

The rocket launcher clattered to the ground.

He chuckled; then sniggered; then laughed; a coughing, barking laugh that bordered on hysteria.

After a few seconds, I joined him.

* * *

The look on the receptionist's face when we walked into the lobby, beaten, bruised, bleeding… _'filthy',_was priceless. 

"Mr. Smith…" he gasped.

"That's me…" I answered, still high on adrenaline.

"What happened?" he asked. "And who is this? What…?"

I raised a hand, grinning like a lunatic.

"A good question." I replied. "You tell me. We invited Professor Chang to sit with us, we behaved quite civilly and then, suddenly, he calls in this crazy, psycho, flame spitting…_child…_that very nearly puts us six feet under. Can _you_tell us what happened? Because we sure as hell would like to know."

"John…" Raven interrupted me, her voice tired and drowsy.

"Go upstairs, Rachel." I asked her, my voice as soft as I could make it. "And tend to the others."

She opened her mouth to say something, changed her mind and helped Cyborg to the elevator. Nightwing followed her, holding the still unconscious Starfire, bridal style, in his arms.

"_Right."_I barked and leaned over the reception desk. "I'd like some answers, please. _Now._Who was this crazy bitch?"

The receptionist licked his lips, nervously and looked over to the two security guards who were flanking the door. I snarled and grabbed him by his shirt, pulling him up.

"They won't hear you. They won't _see_ you. Not even if you scream your head off. Which you will, if you don't start talking." I hissed.

"Physical violence is not allowed!" yelped the receptionist, his hands clawing on my wrists. It was one of the oldest rules in Zandia. You could threaten, blackmail, but not brutalize. It was a _rule._It was _tradition._

"Yeah, that's what I thought too, until an hour or so ago." I growled. "Talk!"

He blinked and decided it was better to cooperate.

"She was _Eve._" he said. "The Lord's daughter."

"His_ child?_" I gasped.

"Yes." He writhed in my grip. "She's also his favorite henchman. Hench_woman._Hench_girl._Ha. Ha."

_Hilarious._

"Why did she attack us?" I asked.

"I don't know!" he replied. "She shouldn't have. Not in my establishment. There are _rules._No physical violence…"

"Yeah, yeah…" I let him fall back into his chair. "From what I've heard, this 'Lord' creep is one for _breaking_rules."

"Not_ that _rule." he whimpered.

"_Every_ rule." I mused, more to myself than to him.

I left him straightening his clothes at his desk and made my way to the bar. I should probably be going upstairs, to check on everybody, but, first, I needed to _think_. A drink would also be good.

The bar was empty. After the chaos in the restaurant, I guess that most of the customers would have left the _Thirteen._There was some kind of moody blues-like music playing, which fitted my _own _mood perfectly.

"Vodka." I told the barman, who gaped at my 'beaten-up' look in something resembling awe and then filled a glass faster than the eye could see.

_Beast Boy was hysteric. Killing does that to you. I guess I should do something about it._

"Listen. Fill a glass about this tall with sherry. Put two spoonfuls of sugar in it. Send it up, room 303. Tell the guy inside he's to give it to his 'little green friend' and that he is supposed to drink it no matter how awful it tastes."

"What…?" the barman asked, baffled.

"Just_ DO IT!_"

"Right. Sherry. Sugar. 303. Little green friend. Awful. Right."

I wet my lips in vodka and felt the bitter-y taste help me snap back to reality. Or snap _away_ from reality.

_Whatever._

_Eve. Hmmmm…Interesting. _

_Why name your daughter 'Eve'? Especially if she ISN'T your real daughter, but a genetically engineered freak?_

Another sip.

_And why go for Raven's DNA? If you wanted to create something very powerful you could go for someone like Superman. Or anyone of the 'Big Ones'. Why target a second-rate superhero team?_

_No. Wrong. Why target _RAVEN?

Another sip.

_Raven is the key. _

_Why name her 'Eve'?_

Another sip.

'_Eve'…Why? Can't be random. _

"Should you be drinking?"

"_Yes"_

Raven sat on a stool next to me. She looked at me in a funny way.

"You told us you get drunk easily."

"I can hold one vodka."

Another sip.

"How's everybody?"

"Nightwing's OK. Cy…_David _as well. His 'little green friend' drank the foul concoction you sent up and is now sleeping like a baby. S…_Black_fire looks like she'll recover."

_Which meant that Raven had healed her._

"What about you?"

"I've been better."

I snorted. _I bet._

"She was…evil." Raven said.

"Yes. I felt it." I agreed. "Cunning. Smart. But evil to the core._Feral_."

Another sip. I slid the glass back. "I'm done."

I let my eyes wander over the empty bar. It looked…dead, in a way. Right across the room, behind the small tables, there was a dance-floor. Empty as well.

The barman reached inside a panel in the wall, behind him, and the music stopped.

"Wait." I said. He looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "Turn it back on."

He did. I turned to Raven.

"Dance with me?"

She stared.

"…"

"Please."

She stood and we walked to the dance-floor. There, she put her hands around my neck and I laid mine around her waist and we rocked to the slow music.

"You're _not_...her." I whispered. "Never will be."

_Might be hard to be lovers,  
but it's harder to be friends…_

She nodded.

…_Baby, pull down the covers,  
it's time you let me in…_

"I'm sorry I got us into this." I continued. "I really am. I'm sorry I got _you_ into this."

She pulled me closer.

"Don't give yourself too much credit. _You_ didn't get me into this. I got myself."

I smiled.

…_Maybe light a couple candles,  
While I just go ahead and lock the door…  
Why don't you talk to me, baby,  
'Till we ain't strangers anymore?_

I breathed in and her scent was there, hidden beneath her fear and her nervousness, that familiar smell that…

_Lay your head on my pillow,  
I'll sit beside you, on the bed.  
Don't you think it's time to say  
some things we haven't said?..._

"Chang…"

"What about him?"

"You told him…You said you…_fell in love_…?"

…_It ain't too late to get back to that place.  
Back to the where we thought we was before…_

I smiled.

"Yes. I did. Didn't I? Fancy that."

She looked up and her eyes were serious.

…_Why don't you look at me,_  
'_Till we ain't strangers anymore?_

"I meant every word, if _that's_ what you're asking."

Her head bumped into my chest and she heaved a big sob. The lights flickered and I barely got a Conviction up in time.

"Idiot."

_Huh?_

_Sometimes it's hard to love me,  
Sometimes it's hard to love you too.  
Sometimes it's hard believing  
That love can pull us through…_

"Why didn't you say so _before?_"

_Ah. That._

"Six months! _Six Trigon-damned months! _Why didn't you _say so_?"

_Good question._

"I don't know."

_It would be so easy  
to live your life with one foot out the door…  
Just hold me baby,_  
'_Till we ain't strangers anymore._

"You_ don't know?_"

"Sorry."

"You_ don't know!_"

"I was afraid, all right? I was stupid, I admit!"

Her head bumped into my chest once again. "Idiot."

I grinned.

"Whatever you say, little blackbird."

_It's hard to find forgiveness,  
when you just turn off the lights  
It's hard to say you're sorry,  
when you can't tell wrong from right…_

She backed away, grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the lobby and the elevators.

"You are an _idiot!_"

"I know."

As the doors of the elevator closed behind us, she kissed me –a big fat kiss I never expected from Raven.

_Holy…_

Two floors later, I managed to get a breath.

"OK, who are you and where's Raven?" I asked.

"Shut up, idiot." she growled and pushed me out the door to the third floor hallway.

_It would be so easy,  
to spend your whole damn life just keeping score…  
So let's get down to it baby.  
There ain't no need to lie.  
Tell me who you think you see  
when you look into my eyes._

She marched to the door of her room, dragging me behind her and stormed inside. Starfire looked up in surprise.

"You are sleeping with Robin tonight, Star." Raven growled.

Starfire didn't react for a moment, but then her face split into a wide grin and she whooshed out of the room like a rocket, the door slamming shut behind her.

Raven looked at me. I looked back.

Silence.

_Let's put our two hearts back together,  
and leave the broken pieces on the floor…_

I reached out and pulled her close and…

_Make love with me baby…_  
'_Till we ain't strangers anymore._

You can stop reading now. The rest is private.

* * *

_A/N: (Nasty grin)_

_Now go ahead and tell me this wasn't worth waiting for. :-P_

_I don't like Bon Jovi. I can't listen to them for more than ten to twenty minutes. But then, one day, my sister was listening to their latest CD and I heard this song and I was like WTF? O.o PLAY THAT AGAIN! _

_The song is called 'Till we ain't strangers anymore'. And I don't own it of course._

_ Now, about them reviews..._

_Why only three (sob):-( _

_**VV: **You changed your name AGAIN???!!! O.o  
Sorry about the dog.  
Welcome back into the Darkness... :-P_

_ **Xaleria: **Yep. Torpedoes too. :-) And thanks- I am afraid that from now on, Raven is gonna be OOC. :-(_

_**Ghostalker: **Thanks!  
And he's not sleeping in another room. Nosiree...:-) _

_Now, I'll have to think about the next update, but it probably won't be soon. The story draws, slowly, to a close. The next big fight 'll be the last one. _

_See ya later, folks!_

_Cheers,  
-Phaethon _


	15. Pact with the Devil

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

_Warmth._

_Light._

_Peace._

That was it. That's what I was feeling –nothing more. I was hovering somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, only dimly aware of my surroundings. There was something draped over my chest, something light and cool, not heavier than a wisp of cloud. There was something bright on my left; not painfully bright, more like a halo. And on my left, there was something warm and soft and…

I opened my eyes, slowly.

_Ah. _

_(sigh)_

_Right._

The brightness on my left became the first rays of light streaming through the window. I moved slightly and felt the light bed covers brush against my chest.

Raven mumbled something in her sleep, turned and cuddled up. I held back a chuckle at how _serious_ she looked, even while sleeping.

Slowly, so as not to wake her, I slipped out of the bed and limped to the bathroom. I turned on the shower –full hot water. I stepped inside and groaned, feeling the water hit my bruises.

_Ouch._

Actually, there were more bruises then normal skin. My whole left side, from shoulder to ankle, was one big blue-ish mess.

_I hope that bitch, Eve, burns in hell…_

Lather, rinse, repeat.

For a few blessed seconds, my mind was a blank. There, under the hot, almost scalding, jets of water, I wiped away every last bit of anxiety, stress and Robin-like paranoia that had haunted me from the moment we had decided to risk our live in this crazy mission. I felt peaceful. Relaxed.

Then I shook my head to clear it and turned off the water.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a bathrobe, Raven was snoring, softly, hugging my pillow. _This_ time, I chuckled.

I picked up the phone and walked to the other side of the room. I dialed the room service number.

"_Room service, how can we help you?"_

"This is room 301. I'd like to order some breakfast. Ginseng tea,_ hot_…Pancakes…"

"_Did you say room 301, Sir?"_

"Yes, but I'm not finished…"

"_Please wait a moment…"_

Silence for a beat.

"_Mr. Smith?"_

It was the receptionist's voice. Suddenly, I didn't feel so relaxed anymore.

"Yes."

"_I would like us to speak. Do you have a minute?"_

"Is it urgent? Because…"

"_Very urgent."_

"All right. I'm listening."

"_Not over the phone. I'd like you to come downstairs."_

Suspicious._Very _suspicious.

"What is this about?"

"_There is a…problem. A big problem. A _'titanic'_ one, to be exact."_

It felt as if my brain was being squashed to a pulp and forced down my throat. It reached my stomach and settled there, heavy as a rock.

_Oh God._

Silence.

"All right." My voice was shaking, but whose wouldn't? "What do you want?"

"_Relax, Mr. Smith. If we wanted you dead, you'd be six feet under already. Please, come downstairs. Alone. Like I said, we need to talk."_

* * *

The restaurant was still a mess; plaster, bricks and concrete dust scattered on the floor. The big hole in the wall, where Eve had broken out, was gaping. 

The receptionist was sitting on a table, as far away from the hole as possible.

I expected him to smirk when I approached, but he simply motioned for me to sit across him.

"Let's not waste time, Mr. Smith. You and your colleagues are none other than the infamous –in Zandia- Teen Titans. That is a fact. That much, we _know_."

I gritted my teeth.

"How did you find out?"

He shrugged.

"Oh, that was easy. A group of young villains, most of them we have heard nothing about? The Titans suddenly disappearing from Jump City? One of your group ordering a tofu dinner in his room and then eating nothing but meat in the restaurant? And Eve, the demon, the terror of Zandia, calling your charming friend 'Mother'? Oh, come on, Mr. Smith. It was pretty much obvious."

Silence.

"Well? What now?" I asked.

"Do you mean, are we going to kill you?" the receptionist smirked. "Like I said before, I don't think so. It's not only up to me, of course…"

"Wait." I help my hand up. "Who else knows about this?"

"Every G13 currently in Zandia, except The Lord. Beside you…eight people, including me."

I groaned. _Great._

"So, why aren't we dead already. And why doesn't The Lord know anything about this?"

"Ah…" the receptionist's smirk widened. "That is because we have something to ask of you. A favor, you might say."

"A favor?"

"Yes." The receptionist leaned over the table. "We'd like you to take on The Lord. As the Titans"

* * *

I closed the door of the room behind me and leaned on it for support, sighing deeply. 

_Dear God, what have we gotten ourselves into?_

"John?"

I looked up. Raven was awake and was looking at me, her eyes still half-shut.

"What time is it?" She glanced over to the clock on the wall and her eyes widened. "Oh. It's late."

"Yes." I said. It was all I could manage at the time. Call me a dirty-minded pervert, but even after the receptionist's death threats, Raven emerging from a pile of bed covers was very…distracting.

"John."

"Hmmm?"

"_John!"_

"Oh. Right. That's me."

"Where were you?"

I scratched the back of my head and turned away. If there was going to be a conversation, I should look at something less…distracting. As it were.

"Downstairs."

"Why were you…?"

"Stop. Listen, do you want to talk?"

"Yes."

"Then lay back and pull those sheets back over you. Otherwise, I can't_ think_."

She smirked.

"Now." she said after rearranging the bed covers. "What is going on?"

"Our cover is blown." It was better to get right to the point.

"_What?"_

"Yes. Sorry."

"_How?"_

_ Good question.  
_

"Well…" It was hard to explain. "We seem to have left some small clues in our wake that, even though on their own are not very compromising, when pieced together…"

"…blew our cover." Raven finished for me. "Great. Now what? Should we run for it?"

"Not quite." I sighed. "It would be futile. We have no transportation out of the island. I am afraid we will have to…"

"Wait." she raised her hand. "It just occurred to me. Why weren't we murdered in our beds?"

I managed a half-smile.

"Ah. Yes. I was coming to that."

* * *

The room was dark. The G13 –those that _were_ there- didn't want us to see their faces. In a way, it was reassuring; it meant that they were going to let us go. You don't need to hide your face from somebody whom you're going to kill. 

"The Teen Titans. Well, well. Interesting." came a voice from the gloom.

I sighed. With the threat of imminent death removed from over my head, I could think happy thoughts again. And I could notice a few subtle hints. Drama, for example. Nobody says things like _"Well, well. Interesting." _unless they're _very_ nervous and want to appear cool. I didn't know _who_ that G13 was, but he had definitely risen recently into his rank. He had no _experience. _

Nightwing –or should I say Robin, now?- squared his shoulders.

"What do you want from us?" he asked.

"Haven't you been told?" This was another voice, a woman's voice. Cold and sharp. "We want you to…_remove_…The Lord."

"Kill him, that is." Another voice.

"No." the first voice cut in. "Not _kill_, if you don't want to. We just want him out of the way. _Permanently_. If you can think of any other way…"

"This is _not _what we agreed!" the second voice protested.

"Shut up." the woman barked. "These are superheroes. Do you really expect them to kill a man? They don't have the spirit. They lack the _guts._"

"Enough!" Robin growled. "You're right, we lack the _'guts'._There's one thing that bothers me though: if you're so great, why don't you kill The Lord yourselves?"

Silence.

"_I _will answer that."

The receptionist stepped out of the shadows. He looked…different somehow. Colder. It was a subtle change, mainly in the way he stood: confident and relaxed.

"_You're_ a G13?" Beast Boy squeaked.

"Oh yes. G2, to be exact." the receptionist smiled. "Must be six years now."

"_Dude!_" Beast Boy gasped.

The receptionist smiled again.

"The answer to your question is simple." he addressed Robin. "We don't_ risk_ messing with The Lord. It would be too dangerous for us."

Robin snorted.

"I can see you don't believe me." the receptionist said. "But you must understand that not all G13 are like your old…acquaintance, Mr. Slade. Most of us are just…businessmen, whose methods are, shall we say…unorthodox. We can be…unpleasant, when we have to, but, trust me, we prefer more subtle methods."

"Like pitting a team of superheroes against your enemy, instead of fighting him yourselves." Robin growled.

"Yes…and no." the receptionist replied with a shrug. "Normally, we would just attempt to co-exist with The Lord. When he first appeared, a couple of years ago, we didn't pay him much notice. But now…"

"…he's a threat, isn't he?" Robin sneered.

"Yes." the receptionist admitted. "It may seem ridiculous to you, but Zandia has _rules._It's thanks to these rules that it has survived for this long. It is supposed to be a safe haven for all villains. It isn't anymore."

"The Lord likes to break rules." Cyborg snorted.

"Yes." the receptionist agreed. "He does. He has killed, destroyed property, forced people to work for him…"

"_And he wrecked your hotel as well._" Beast Boy sniggered.

"That was the last straw." barked the woman from the shadows. "The _Thirteen _is supposed to be _safe_. He can't just send his goon and blow it up!"

"Calm down, Sarah." the receptionist said, in a soothing voice.

"The hell!" she snapped and there were chuckles in the darkness.

"You see…" the receptionist turned his attention back to Robin, smiling slightly. "…we can't do much. If we send 'muscle' to take the guy out, and they fail, we will be in deep…trouble. He's got a small army in his facilities and if he is provoked…I dread to think what he will do."

"Why don't you lead all the supervillains of Zandia against him?" asked Cyborg. "He won't be able to defend himself against that!"

The receptionist shook his head sadly. "That is, unfortunately, impossible. Most supervillains are here to _relax._To hide. To recover. If we ask for volunteers, none will come forward. And we can't just shanghai people. Their hearts won't be in it."

"Oh, and _our _hearts will?" Robin snorted.

The receptionist walked up to Raven and lowered his face, to look her straight in the eyes. She returned his gaze calmly. I tensed in my seat, ready to act, in case he tried anything, but he just stood there, locked in a stare-down competition with Raven.

He finally looked away.

"Yes." he said, producing a cigar and lighting it. "I think they will."

Silence. All the Titans, myself included, carefully avoided looking at Raven.

"Sending a superhero team to take The Lord out, will not cause any problems for us. You are not connected with us in any way and you have your own personal motives to go after him. It's perfect."

"OK." Robin sighed. "What's the deal?"

"You take him out. Any way you can. We guarantee your safety in Zandia and offer you safe return to the States, once this is over. What do you say?"

Silence.

"Please, bear in mind that, even though it is impossible for us to stage an operation against _The Lord_, it would be _very_ easy to set every supervillain in Zandia on _you._ Be smart, Titans."

_We don't have much of a choice._

Robin seemed to agree with me. He sighed.

"Fine."

"We have a deal?"

"That's what I _said!_"

"Capital!" the receptionist grinned. "There _is_ something we can do to help you."

"That would be…?"

"We can give you information." The receptionist walked back into the darkness. There was a hiss of hydraulic systems and a door opened in the gloom, bathing the room in blue-ish light.

"Last night somebody deserted from The Lord's facilities. We believe you will find the info he can give you…useful."

A figure walked in –a figure out of a nightmare. I left my chair and got my back against the wall with a single leap, my power ready.

The figure raised his spider's legs in the air, in a gesture that could mean either readiness to attack, or submission. I tensed…

"Hello Titans." The voice was that of a man; it seemed nervous.

Robin sighed again.

"Hello, Fang."

* * *

_A/N:__ Filler chap, I know. Still, I managed a nice cliffie. :-)_

_**VV: **__Thanks. Yep, he 'gets a bit' :-). Here's the next chapter.  
Oh. One question. Why 'FailedWriter'? _

_**Xaleria: **__Hey. You loved Eve? O.o. Weird.:-) OK, then. If you liked her so much, I'll put in a few of her siblings in the final showdown._

_**Lady:**__ Glad you liked it:-) When I say 'soon', I mean in 2-3 chapters. There's still some way to go. _

_**Ghostalker: **__Yep. Beast Boy is da man! "Hasta la vista, Eve!" :-P  
And about the jealousy: if I ever finish the second sequel ("Memories and Nightmares") you'll see why Tylan shouldn't be jealous._

_Cheers everybody!_

_-Phaethon._


	16. Break in

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

"I have never seen him." 

Fang lowered his head in what could be shame. It was hard to read the spider-guy's body language; his eight extra legs got in the way.

"I have never seen The Lord. I am not important enough."

Robin leaned over the table, balling his fists.

"Then_ what good are you?_"

Fang shrugged.

"I can get you into his house. That is, I can tell you _how _to get in. I'm not going back there."

We exchanged glances. There was suspicion all around.

"Why did you leave in the first place?" Cyborg asked.

"He…" Fang hesitated. "…he is dangerous. I mean, he was dangerous from the start, when he approached Killer Moth, but now he's getting…weird. Some of the people working for him have disappeared. Killer Moth asked him about it, but he just said they were no longer necessary."

"Which means they're _dead_." I said, grinning a mad grin. "That's what you get for not being necessary. It's tradition."

Fang shuddered.

"Killer Moth tried to bail out, a week or so ago. He failed. Now…" he took a deep breath "…now The Lord has Kitten. I'm sure they'll kill her…"

_Awwwww…__he's in luurve…how cute._

"Right." the receptionist leaned over the table and spread out a map of something that looked like a bunker complex. "This is The Lord's house, according to the information Mr. Fang has given us."

"Why are some areas left blank?" asked Beast Boy.

"Because I never visited them." Fang said in a 'duh' voice. "These are top-secret rooms. I know that the genetic reconstruction lab is _here_" he pointed with a long spider's leg "and that the artificial womb tanks are _here, _but I've never entered them and I can't give you their layout. Sorry."

"What about The Lord's private quarters?" I asked. "And, by the way, where did you say the genetic lab is?"

_There's a genome synthesizer there, worth about half a million bucks._

"The lab's _here. _And about The Lord's quarters…somewhere around _here,_I think. I don't_ know. _Not even Killer Moth has clearance to them."

"What about security? What has he got?" Cyborg asked, scratching his jaw, bent over the map.

"Well, I can tell you, you can't teleport in there. EMP fields, all 'round, psychic dampeners on every wall…You'll have to break in, the old-fashioned way. You can approach the compound from _here._" Fang offered, pointing. "The security is _tough,_but not impossible._I_ got out that way."

"That's because security is there to keep people _out,_not _in._" I mused, joining Cyborg. "A three-hundred-foot climb? Access through drains? That's _not_ our way in. You can _bet _that's not our way in."

"But…?" Beast Boy protested.

"May I?" I asked Robin and, when he nodded, turned the map around to get a better look.

_Hmmm…_

"I know I'm not in charge anymore, but I have a suggestion." I said. "It's risky, but less risky than anything else I can think of."

Robin nodded. "Go on."

"Right. Forget about drains and ventilation and whassisnames. They're bound to have the best security _there_, if this guy is as good as everybody says."

"I agree." Robin nodded.

I pointed at the gates of The Lord's facility. Then at the dead zone, separating the outer wall from the inner compound.

"About nine hundred feet, would you say?"

"Yeah." Fang agreed.

"So, there's no way we can sneak in." I mused. "They'll spot us instantly, especially since I won't be able to shield us. _Damn_ their dampeners._Everybody _has them these days…OK, then." I cracked my knuckles, thoughtfully. "I never liked this kind of job, but I think we can pull it off."

"Pull what off? Off where?" Starfire asked.

"What's on your mind?" Robin asked, his voice businesslike.

"In and out. No sneaking. High profile. In short…" I grinned. "We _break _in."

* * *

_Five…six…seven…eight…and turn. And one…two…three…_

"This isn't going to work."

"Yes it is."

…_four…five…six…_

"This is suicide."

"No, it isn't."

…_seven…eight…and turn. _

The guard on the top of the bunker-like wall shifted the strap of his gun, scanned the roadside shrubberies and did an abrupt turn, his boots echoing on the concrete. On his belt, a walkie-talkie gave a brief squawk and fell silent.

"The guard's patrol route is a nine-step loop." said Robin. "That is…twelve seconds, at the most."

"I'd estimate fourteen, but…all right, twelve." I grinned at his scowl.

Beast Boy shuddered. Raven mirrored him.

"Are you two OK?" Cyborg asked.

"No!" Beast Boy whined. "This is _not good!_ I can _smell_ these geneticodemonic freaks from out here! Do you have any idea what their smell does to my smell? It's like a shithou…" he cowered under Raven's glare. "Well, it is!" he insisted, in a small voice.

Raven blinked.

"In a way, he's right." she sighed. "I can feel them, and it's like claws scratching on a blackboard. They're _wrong._"

"Well, I never had your sixth sense." I admitted and counted the guard's steps under my breath. _Definitely fourteen seconds. _"I can sense nothing."

"You'll know they're there when they chomp your head off." said Beast Boy nastily.

"I'll feed _you_ to them, and they'll get food poisoning." I retorted absent-mindedly.

The shrub behind us rustled and Cyborg emerged, carrying a long, metal tube, its surface crisscrossed by blue circuits.

"Where do you want it?" he grinned.

"Right here." Robin pointed. "I want these doors down, Cy."

Cyborg set up a firing tripod, screwed the tube on top and aimed it at the huge, steel, very thick, huge, monolith-like, armored, _huge_ gates. I must admit that, now that I saw them from up close, they looked…well…

Huge. And impregnable.

"_Right._" The grin on Cy's face was priceless. "Raven, shields up in five…four…three…two…_one_…_NOW!_"

The tube pulsed once-a brilliant white light with blue hues, and exploded, sending a bolt of nuclear-reactor-hot plasma at the gates. It broke the sound barrier twice, covering the thousand feet or so to the wall.

The_ huge_, steel gates never had a chance.

The explosion took out the gates, part of the wall and most of the earth under it. The shockwave flattened trees, split stones and blew the guards off their feet like leaves in a gale. Raven raised her shields just in time, bending the force of the blast to the side and over us, encasing us in a protective cocoon that shielded us from the worst. Even so, I felt my hair stand on end. Beast Boy turned into a dog, but his tail under his legs and whined.

"Man." gasped Cy. "Can I have some more of this anti-matter, John?"

"No." I replied as the flames and vortexes of fire died out. I checked the GRAVE anti-matter reactor and flinched at the red light blinking. I had enough juice left for a dozen jumps. Not more.

Silence.

A tree, next to us, creaked and toppled over, burnt to a crisp.

Silence.

"Titans,_GO!_"

Cyborg and Beast Boy charged in first, stampeding over any guard that still showed signs of fighting spirit. There weren't many of them. Only one actually tried to raise his gun and aim at Starfire, but Robin's bird-a-rang gave him a frightful headache.

A siren started howling.

_Took them long enough._

We put our backs against the inner wall, Cyborg kneeling down and getting to work on the electronic lock terminal next to the doors to the inner compound. I slapped a clip into the single _Adder_ Uzi I had left. Robin extended his bo staff. Starfire's and Raven's hands glowed with energy.

A troop of guards came 'round a corner at a brisk trot, their weapons held ready. They saw us.

I barely managed to fire first. They were _good._

…_BRRRRPPPPRRRRPPPPPBRRRRPPPPP…_

The_ Adders, _with their modified shrapnel ammo are pretty useless in terms of accuracy and range. But they are _perfect _for getting your enemy to find cover and _stay_ there. There is nothing like the sinister _zip-zip-zip_of metal slugs whistling around one to turn one's knees to jelly.

The guards fell back to wherever they had come from, managing to fire a_ stunning_ total of three shots: they all sailed hopelessly wide.

_click_

I was empty, but Raven and Starfire took over, their starbolts and energy blasts raising clouds of dust and tearing great chunks off the concrete wall, behind which the guards were cowering. I slapped a new clip in.

"Thirty seconds!" cried Robin and tapped Cyborg on the shoulder. "Hurry up!"

"I'm almost there…" mumbled Cy.

"Look out!" cried Beast Boy and pointed to the one outer perimeter turret that had survived the anti-matter blast. A couple of guards were busy, swinging an evil-looking gun around on its tripod.

"Shit." Robin growled. "Raven, Star, take out that gun. Smith, pin down the guards."

"Right." Raven hissed and unleashed a wall of black energy towards the tower, while I knelt, aimed and fired towards the cowering guards.

Raven's energy shimmered, flickered and faded, not ten feet from the tower.

"Holy…" Beast Boy whispered.

"The psychic dampeners are still up!" Robin yelped. "The wall is still protected from psychic assaults! Cy, dammit, what…?"

"Sorry!" yelled Cyborg. "I'm doing my best, here!"

Starfire raised her hand, green solar energy pulsing 'round her fingertips, but she never had the chance to fire her starbolt. The guards on top of the tower aimed and fired.

Their gun sprang to life with a _braka-braka-braka_ noise, harsher and louder than that of my _Adder_. Beast Boy reacted first, turning into a kitten that hid behind Cyborg's massive, steel body. Raven raised a shield around Starfire and herself. I threw myself at Robin and polarized SHROUD and felt the bullets _zing _off the adamantium with a force that would have knocked me off my feet anyway.

"Almost there…" Cyborg moaned, a bullet ricocheting off his metal shoulder with a ringing sound. Robin cursed something and I saw Raven grit her teeth, trying to keep her shield up as the bullets ripped whole chunks off it.

The guards were up, running towards us and cheering…

…the lock beeped happily.

"_YES!_" yelled Cyborg. "Take _that_ Mr. Paranoid Security System!"

I was up already, my power fueled by rage and relief and the remains of mortal fear. As emotional cocktails go, there is none stronger. I was next to Raven in a heartbeat and we both unleashed our power at the same time, our magic blasts fusing together.

The guards on the tower saw a wave of darkness sweeping towards them, a wave that looked more like a miasmatic cloud than a blast. Strange shapes moved inside it. There were screams and a deathly stench and suddenly, inside the cloud, there was something like a snake coiling around itself and spitting poison from its huge fangs and opening its mouth and…

The guards jumped off the tower, screaming in terror.

The blast hit the concrete, pulverized it, took the gun with it and turned the top of the tower into a spinning cloud of dust and debris that expanded like a miniature nuclear mushroom. Small bits of concrete, none bigger than my fingernail rained all around us.

I looked at Raven. She looked back.

"Oh, I love you." we both said, right on cue and fell into each other's arms.

Robin went past us like a lunatic, followed closely by Starfire. The guards that had been running towards us were suddenly dodging starbolts and fighting a shadow that came out of the dust, beat a couple of them senseless and disappeared again. Robin danced 'round them, like a ghost, appearing seemingly at random, disappearing when he was done.

And then, there were only two guards left. Robin stepped out of the dust, kicked one over the head, looked over to the other one, saw him take aim, saw his eyes widen…

Starfire's starbolt hit the guard squarely on his chest, lifting him off his feet and slamming him against the inner wall like a rag doll. The Tamaranian landed next to the staring Robin, her eyes glowing green, her teeth bared in a grim smile.

She looked at Robin. He looked back.

"Oh, I love you." they both said on cue and fell into each other's arms.

Cyborg stood up, grinning proudly. The steel door to the inner compound was open. "Yo! I love you all. Now can we _get moving?_"

There was a brief moment of embarrassment.

Beast Boy stuck his head out from behind Cyborg.

"Is it over, yet?" he asked.

* * *

It was quiet. 

_Too_quiet.

Yeah, yeah. I know. It's a cliché phrase. But trust me: when you blast a guy's door down, beat up his guards and blow up half his garden, you expect somebody to be expecting you. You don't expect this kind of dark, tomb-like, silent _gloom_ that gets on your nerves and makes you keep looking over your shoulder to make sure there isn't something unspeakably evil and ugly there.

Like I said, it gets on your _nerves._

Cyborg grinned sheepishly when the outer door closed and locked behind us.

"Sorry." he said. " 'M afraid I had to cut the main power supply to the whole building to take out the security system. We're only gonna get these emergency lights. That's it."

Beast Boy turned into a bat and hopped to the wall. He put his ear against it.

"Nah." he said, turning into a human again. "There's a power generator working somewhere. I can feel the vibrations."

"The labs, I guess." hazarded Robin. "And The Lord's quarters. Cy, could you see what part of the compound gets power?"

"No." Cyborg sounded certain. "Every terminal 'round here is dead. Like I said, the only power _we're_ getting are the emergency lights."

"Wait." Beast Boy shifted quickly through a few insect and bird shapes. I caught a glimpse of a dove and a bee.

"That way." Beast Boy pointed down a hallway.

"How do you know?" asked Robin, mystified.

"There are many animals that are sensitive to electrical and magnetic fields." Beast Boy shrugged. "Doves practically _navigate _by them. Trust me. There's power, down there…"

"Good job." Robin said. "Let's go."

It was creepy –that much I remember. We sprinted down dark hallways that all looked the same, but Beast Boy would from time to time shift and assure us that we were getting closer.

Oh, and I remember the stairs, at the end of the final hallway. They were_ big. _If Grenouille's stairs looked like they had been taken from _Titanic_, these looked like they had been taken from the _Titanic's_ big brother.

The door across the stairway hall, a big, oaken, carved abomination, was shut, but there was light shining 'round the edges.

Robin opened it with a flying kick.

We stared.

We were expecting The Lord's quarters. Instead, we had found…

…a lab…?

…a pen…?

…a_ nursery…_?

The room was big, but not huge. The floor was red marble. The walls were granite, and they had a _carved _look, as if this was once a cave that had been carved out of the rock.

There were big glass tanks lining the walls. All of them filled with a crystal-clear liquid.

And inside each of them, a monster.

Some of them, the ones closer to the door, were crude, reptile-like, more like the one that I had fought in the sewers. Their black scales shone in the harsh light of the room. Some of them had spikes. Most of them had wings. Others had tails.

But as we kept walking, we could see how the mysterious genetic engineer had gone from crude models of his dream to something more…graceful. The creatures gradually became more human-like. They had faces, not snouts. They had mouths, not jaws. Some of them had _hands_ –a huge step forward.

Every tank had a metal plate affixed to it, with a code and a name.

_R-12: Moloch. _

_R-21: Tiamat. _

_HB-4: Seraphim._

_HB-18: Abraham._

There were at least fifty of them.

Tubes and wires connected them with computer consoles in the walls and some of them were fed intravenously. Heartbeat monitors, EEG screens and all sorts of techno-gizmos beeped and blinked and chirped happily away.

Farther away, two tanks stood on their own. One of them was empty and the other one was occupied, but I could see that inside it was only an embryo. It was still small, white and faintly translucent, but it looked human.

_S-1: Eve_

_S-2: Adam_

Raven gritted her teeth.

"Dear God…" Cyborg whispered. "Oh, dear God."

Beast Boy turned into a dog and edged closer to a tank. The form reclining inside it, a hybrid somewhere between reptile and human form _(HB-13: Rama) _was bobbing gently up and down, caught in some invisible current of the water-like liquid inside the tank. Beast Boy sniffed at the tank, curious.

The eyes of the hybrid snapped open, blood-red and glowing and Beast Boy jumped back yelping and whining.

The figure didn't jerk around, like I expected it to. It spread its limbs, brought its face close to the glass and looked at us, with wide and curious eyes. There was some kind of child-like curiosity in its features.

It made a sound like a dolphin and I saw Raven shudder.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

"_Hell _no!" she snapped. "What kind of question is that?"

'Rama' was clicking happily away, chirping as if it was talking to us. Then it made a sound like laughter. Then it curled back into a ball and fell asleep.

"Another door!" we heard Starfire's voice and turned. Sure enough, next to Eve's empty tank there was the outline of a door, carved into the rock. It wasn't thicker than a hair, and that's why we had missed it the first time 'round.

"_Right._" Raven hissed and I could see her face shifting slightly. The demon inside was _itching _to be released. "Get behind me."

Her magic blast ripped the stone from its hidden hinges and catapulted the granite slab inside the room on the other side.

Darkness.

Beast Boy, still in his canine form sniffed the air. He stiffened. He turned back into a human.

"I_ know _that smell." he growled.

Raven shivered. Whatever was in there, she knew what it was as well.

"_You?_" she cried.

_Clap._

_Clap._

_Clap._

The sound of applause came from the darkness. Raven glared.

I saw a small light pierce the shadows. In its pale blue halo, I could make out the outlines of the room. It was smaller than the…_nursery…_and there was a desk. And behind the desk, a big, old-fashioned leather chair.

I couldn't see the face of its occupant, but I could see that he was clapping.

Raven drew a deep breath. She looked at me, and there was something like…apology in her eyes. And fear.

Now I was worried. Raven doesn't get easily afraid. She gets _angry_.

"Come in, children." came a voice from the shadows –a rich, calm voice with a British accent. "Ah, my dearest Raven. So nice to see you again."

We were rooted in place. I don't know what the others were thinking, but, for me, stepping through that doorstep and into the gloom was out of the question. I had a _baaaaaad_ feeling about this.

Raven was the first to move. She stepped forward. One step. Two steps.

"My_ dear _Raven."

"_Malchior._"

* * *

_A/N:__ (evil grin) Now, go ahead and tell me (with a straight face) that you expected that. :-P_

_**Zarola: **__Yep. They made more Eves._

_**Xaleria: **__The villains are ALWAYS more interesting. :-P_

_**VV: **__You're not a FailedWriter. I checked on your fic and it's quite promising. I'll review soon._

_**Saint H: **__Smith'll always be a villain deep down. A leopard doesn't change his spots._

_That's it. Next update when I feel like it. _

_Cheers_

_-Phaethon, out._


	17. Showdown

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

_Right._

_This was unexpected._

I glanced at Raven. She was paler than usual, but she stood firm and her face was as expressionless as ever. She didn't seem surprised, just _scared._

Then her lower jaw moved from side to side and I heard the faint gritting of teeth. 

_Ah. Good. That's my girl._

"Malchior?" sputtered Cyborg. "_The _Malchior?"

"The one and only." came the voice from the chair. "My _dear _Raven, this is indeed a pleasure, though not exactly unexpected. I'd offer you a seat, but I _know_ you'd refuse. So shall we skip to the interesting part? What would you prefer? Me monologueing, explaining my master plans, or you asking questions?"

Raven was silent, but I could feel her power sparking to life with every passing second. She was building up a massive magic charge. 

She didn't seem in the mood for talking, or listening.

"A monologue it is then…" Malchior began.

"Wait." I said. "_I've _got some questions."

"Ah…" there was a hiss from the shadows that somehow a human larynx shouldn't be able to produce. "The new romantic interest. My dear, you break my heart. You scorn me for _this?_ It is almost…insulting."

"_Shut up._" Raven growled. It _was _a growl. No red eyes yet, but close.

"Just look at him." Malchior chuckled. "So shallow, so weak, with his pathetic little Illusions, following you like a dog follows its mistress. Ridiculous. He reminds me of Rorek. Why, he is wearing_ white! _He even has got a scarf! Oh, this is _priceless!_"

"Raven?" I asked, softly, my hackles raised. "I've got two questions. One: Is this that dragon-guy you told me about?"

"_The same_."

"Good. Two: Can I kill him?"

"_Get in line." _was her answer.

Malchior laughed mirthfully. It was an 'oh-isn't-this-great-fun-we're-having' laugh, but if one listened closely, one could make out the serpent-like hissing in it, as well as the slight hint of madness. 

_Great. A psycho dragon. That's all we need._

"Come, come now, children, you must be joking. Kill me? Kill _me?_ Why, it would take more than six clowns –oh, I'm sorry, dear Raven, I meant _five_ clowns and one fair maiden, of course- to kill _me._ And after all, are you really saying that you are not in the least bit curious as to how I've managed to accomplish all this? Can this unpleasant business not wait?"

Robin grunted. 

"_Fine_." he growled. "Talk first. _Then,_we'll kick your ass back to the Middle Ages."

"A most eloquent threat-that-is-not-really-a-threat-but-a-bluff." said Malchior and I could _feel _the damn lizard's grin on his face. I had to fight the impulse to jump onto his desk and choke the life out of him. "Where shall we start? Oh yes. Trigon. But first…"

I heard the _click _of a switch and for a moment I thought that we had been duped into walking right into a trap. I was more than relieved when only the lights turned on, bathing the room in a soft white neon glow. 

"…let there be light!" Malchior concluded.

He –or _it_?- was human. -oid. Human_oid._There was something_ wrong _in the shape that sat on the leather chair, something that spoke to my subconscious and told me that what I was seeing was _not_ a man wreathed in bandages. It was just a hollow shell. A 'skin' of parchment strips, stretched over nothing but air, animated by the will of the fiend that possessed them. 

And those eyes. _Dead_. Lifeless. Nothing more than a drawing on paper. 

"Trigon then." Malchior began and I suppressed a shudder. His face didn't move at all. Oh, his voice came out of the general area of his mouth, but he didn't even bother moving the parchment a bit, to give the illusion of a mouth moving somewhere under those bandages. _Creepy._"Such power! Such inspiration! I felt his coming, dear Raven, _felt _him, even when I was trapped in that hell-hole of a prison, that infernal book. Such hope, I felt! Such optimism! And I was right!"

The parchment-puppet that was Malchior leaned forward in excitement. 

"He released me, Raven. His power, his _aura_ alone broke the curse you had cast on me. I was free at last, free to scour the world once again. I had to wait for you to defeat him, of course, to make good my escape. I doubt he would have welcomed me –I believe he would have considered me a threat. May I compliment you on your use of magic, my dear? I found your thirteenth-level Dimension Lock spell _quite_ interesting. I doubt I could do it better. You made your old master proud."

"You are _not _my master." Raven hissed. "You are just a slimy, worm-ridden,_ kraaduk, dis'ler…_"

This was bad. I had only heard Raven curse in Azarathen _once_, and that was a memory that still haunted me. Poor Beast Boy had never seemed the same since. 

"Ah, ah, _ah!_" Malchior raised a hand. "No need to be rude."

"So." Beast Boy barked. "This is how you managed to join the Brotherhood of Evil."

"Yes, green one." Malchior replied. "I found most of them…ridiculous, but there were _some_ that held promise. Killer Moth. The late Dr. Chang. I thought that I could plot easier if I was one of them. I would have allies, generous resources in my disposal…beating you up, would be just a _perk_, really."

"Well, yeah." Beast Boy sniggered. "Raven still kicked your ass in that final showdown."

"_NO!_" Malchior growled, and this time there was no mistaking the dragon harmonics in his voice. "In fact, she did _not._The only thing that_ dear _Raven managed, was to block my flames. _One,_single,puny flame blast. And then came that black-skinned _wretch,_with his accursed trumpet…"

Cyborg grinned evilly. 

"Herald never told us in what kind of dimension he sent you." he said. "It can't have been pleasant."

"It wasn't." snapped Malchior. He was silent for a beat. When he spoke again, it was slower, more deliberate, like somebody remembering a nightmare. "It was like…a dream. But not really a dream. There were…colors. And…and…I wasn't _me._I mean, I was_ everything. _It was like being blasted apart and every single part of me was _me…_"

Silence.

"I fought the fear and the nightmare." Malchior said. "I came out of there. I returned, broken, beaten, a shade of my real self. But I fed on my rage and my lust for revenge and I grew strong once more. And I plotted my vengeance."

He pressed a switch on his desk and part of the wall, next to the door we had come in form slid to the side, revealing the nightmarish_ nursery. _

"My children." he crooned. "I grew my army from the strongest two creatures I know of: you, dear Raven, and myself. Imagine the possibilities! Most of them are nothing but failed experiments, of course. Not one of them could survive out of their crib for more than a week or so. Not even those with the healing powers. They are _weak. Too _weak for me to use. But, oh, _Eve. _She was _perfect. _So much like her mother…"

Raven shuddered. "You are _sick._ And you are playing with powers far beyond your comprehension."

"Oh?" Malchior shrugged. "It is not for the pupil to question the master. But come, dear Raven. Once upon a time, I remember, you liked me. You even _loved _me, I might say. Did you never wonder what our children would look like?"

I felt sick.

Malchior laughed –a shrill maniac laugh that echoed 'round the room and made my hair stand on end. I called upon my power, ready to fight, but Raven's hand closed on mine like a vise.

"Go." she said.

"What?" I asked, surprised. 

"All of you." she insisted. "Leave. This is an enemy far beyond your power."

"… I was speechless.

"Go."

"No." 

"Please."

"_No!_" That was Cyborg. "We're not leaving you here."

"I'm not asking."

"No." That was Robin, his voice sharp and full of anger. "You did this to us once before. Never again. This time, we're sticking together. Whether you like it or not."

Raven turned to me, her eyes full of despair. It was clear to me that she was looking for someone to agree with her, to point out that Malchior_ was_ too great an opponent, that she _should_ be left to fend for her self, while we waited it out –and that made me _mad._

_I am a coward. True. But I'm not a complete bastard._

"It's _our _fight." I said. "Remember?" 

Silence.

Malchior chuckled. "How touching. It warms my heart to see this."

He got up, pushing his chair back and stretched. The motion had something of the grace of a cat.

"Unfortunately for you, I am a dragon. Do you know what happens when a dragon feels a lovely warm glow inside?"

I saw the tendrils of magic erupt from between the parchment strips, giving the impression that he was on fire. Then his form _shifted,_slower than any of Beast Boy's shape-shifts, but moving with the slow deliberate way that glaciers do. 

"Run." Robin croaked.

"_No!"_Raven cried. "We need to…"

"._RUN!_" I finished for her, for once agreeing with Robin. The tendrils of flame growing out of Malchior's body gave me the creeps. I got my hand around her waist and literally _dragged _her out of the room, past the life-support tanks, out to the dark corridors. Robin led the way; the rest of the Titans followed. 

Behind us, a roar made the floor shake.

"Shit!" I growled as I was thrown against the wall. Beast Boy echoed my curse and Starfire grumbled something in Tamaranian. "What are we gonna do?"

"Running forever is out of the question." Robin snapped. "But staying here is suicide. It's _his _turf. He'll wipe the floor with us."

"You have no idea." said Raven darkly.

"Hey, thanks for the confidence you show us." I growled. "Do _you_have any ideas?"

"Well, if _you _hadn't_ insisted _on staying, I would have fought him!" Raven countered. "But _oh no_, you _had_ to stay. _Now, _I must be careful about not blowing your bloody heads off!"

"Well, forgive me for not abandoning you to a king-sized, fire-breathing iguana!" I screamed.

"I could have taken him!"

"Oh yeah?"

"_Yeah!_"

_Booom._

The floor shook again and we all staggered. Then, there was this awful_ ripping _sound, the sound of breaking concrete and tortured metal and the whole roof was ripped away, revealing the night sky.

A gigantic black shape loomed over us, silhouetted against the stars. 

"…right." Cyborg squeaked. 

The dragon lowered his head, fixing his red eyes on us. I expected the blast of fire that would turn us to piles of ash, any moment now, _oh God, oh God, not like this, I wasn't born to fry, _but it never came.

Twenty or so dark shapes, all of them crawling like overgrown lizards emerged over the wreckage of the roof. Glowing eyes. Wings. Tails. _Oh shit. _

Then again, it was some consolation that there seemed to be only reptile-ish hybrids present. Not that _they_ weren't more than capable of _creaming_ us, but we would have no hope at all against twenty-or-so Eves. For a crazy moment I wondered why Malchior hadn't released the more evolved hybrids as well, but then the dragon spoke and all was forgotten in the rumble of his voice.

"_Feast, my children." _

…_right._

Raven narrowed her eyes and turned to us.

"You handle the…_spawn._" she growled. "I'll deal with him."

And then she was growing, shedding her human form like a piece of clothing, revealing her power, a pillar of darkness. The hybrids chirped and howled and scuttled back, out of her way, and in an explosion of magic she attacked Malchior, her tentacles struggling for a grip on the dragon's body, her four eyes only inches away from his. Malchior roared and spat flame in defiance…

The hybrids charged, scuttling down the wall like spiders. I turned my attention to them; I just had to hope that Raven knew what she was doing.

"Keep moving." I told the Titans. "Hit-and-run. If they sink their teeth in, the only way you can get away is to chop off that part of you. _Don't _give them that chance."

They nodded and scattered, accepting my advice, pale as ghosts. Even Robin nodded curtly and readied his staff. I _had _fought one of these bastards before, after all.

Two of them came straight for me, their tails swishing around in an almost comical way. They were bigger than the one I had fought in the sewers, maybe older, but their auras were duller, weaker, almost human-leveled. I unsheathed my knives, sent electricity down the blades and growled under my breath.

"Come and _get _it, creeps."

The first one jumped: it was a perfect move, executed with grace and power. It planted its hind legs deep in the concrete floor, mid-stride, and then launched itself at my head, a living projectile with teeth up front. 

I sidestepped, and swung my blade. I hit it on the mouth, just between the two jaws and sliced half its head open, then twirled on my heels, grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and held it up, a still-living shield against its buddy. 

The force of the second one's attack lifted me off my feet and slammed me against the wall, but those vicious teeth were buried deep on the belly of its sibling. Reaching over the feebly struggling first hybrid, I stabbed the second one behind its head, snapping its spine.

"Bite me, will you?" I hissed, adrenaline-crazy. "I'll show you_ bite_."

A third hybrid broke noticed the death of its siblings and broke off Cyborg: the black giant was fighting like a demon, holding three hybrids off, landing punches that would have dented the hood of any car. The hybrids were circling him, warily looking for an opening, but they kept their distance.

The hybrid fixed me with its bloodshot eyes and hissed like a cat. It was a fearsome beast, almost human-sized, with muscles on it like steel wires. Its teeth were particularly _pointy._

But its aura was weak. Its mind was open.

At the moment it jumped, I ducked and raised a Veil –it was one of the strongest I had ever cast and, for a moment, I was proud and wished Raven could see me. She'd approve. But then, the sleek black shape was floating over me in slow-motion, a puzzled expression on what one could call its face and I was reaching up with one of my knives, stabbing its belly. 

_Die._

It howled and landed, rolling on the ground, but it righted itself, shook the pain away like a dog shaking itself dry and jumped again. 

A roar. A huge green hand reaching over my head, snatching the hybrid out of the air. A face out of a nightmare, howling a challenge right in the face of the struggling monster.

Beast Boy was there. And _boy,_was he _angry._

The Beast raised the feebly struggling hybrid over its head and slammed it hard on the ground. The concrete cracked. A single drop of blood hit me in the face and I flinched at the touch of the foul-smelling liquid. The Beast purred, satisfied and turned to fix me with its white, pupil-less eyes. 

There was a short moment of…_something_, some sort of _understanding_ between us. There was no sound; no words; no growls; but the Beast knew I was thanking it and I knew that it was thinking something along the lines of _'don't mention it'._

Then we turned around, stood back-to-back and kicked some hybrid butt.

Meanwhile, Raven and Malchior were locked in magical combat, their energies crackling and colliding, filling the air with static electricity and raising our hair on end. Raven fought like…well, like a _demon,_her shape distorted and blurred into something dark and terrible, while Malchior stood his ground, his magic shielding him from Raven's blasts, his own energies fighting back. 

"_Ah…"_ the dragon hissed, after deflecting one of Raven's curses. _"You've grown stronger, Raven. But not strong enough. There is no book here, to bind me. You fight me skill on skill alone. And I am better than you."_

The dark shape that was Raven hissed defiance and charged the dragon yet again, but Malchior spread his wings, roared something in a harsh guttural language and magic exploded 'round him like a mini-sun. Raven was catapulted back, morphing back to a near-human shape, and landed heavily next to Robin, who was holding off a rabid hybrid. 

Beast Boy roared, swatted the last hybrid we were fighting away as if it were a fly and charged towards her. I jumped onto his back, more out of reflex than conscious thought and hung on for dear life as the massive muscles tensed and relaxed under the Beast's fur. 

Malchior roared and his mouth opened wide…

…I saw the small pilot light of the imminent fireball appearing deep in his throat, as the Beast crouched over Raven, baring its teeth…

"Take her and _run!_"

The Beast grabbed the moaning Raven 'round her waist and jumped off the way like a cat.

Malchior spat fire.

Meeting his magic head-on would be suicide. He was by far my superior. So, I did not attempt to cancel his magic. 

Instead, my Conviction _deflected _it, just by a few degrees.

The flame hit a group of hybrids, turned them to ash in a fraction of a second, melted through the concrete of the floor, the wiring that run under it, the pipes…

…_the PIPES!?_

It was a good thing Raven was there. Her shield came up just as the fire reached the gas conduct. As the mighty explosion rose, in shape much like a flower, she wrapped us all into a shroud of black magic that kept us more or less safe. Malchior was not so lucky. The gas jet exploded right in front of him, scorching him badly before he could raise a decent shield. He backed off, clawing at the air, howling. 

Something much like a black mist rose from the hole in the floor. A deep hum that bordered on the subsonic made our teeth rattle. 

"What the…?

Cy consulted his wrist monitors.

"Killer Moth's mutant bugs." he explained. "There must've been some sort of hatchery downstairs."

"Makes sense." Robin nodded. "Malchior must've allowed him to proceed with his own genetic engineering, while working on the dragon hybrids."

_Hmmm…_

"So." I said, rubbing my jaw thoughtfully. "These are bugs. Right?"

"Yes." Raven said. Her eyes met mine.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Oh_ yes._"

She turned to Robin, and her eyes were blazing with determination and that special glint that means _'I'm about to kick some ass right over to another dimension.'_

"Keep the hybrids off our back."

"…Right."

Malchior's flame speared over our heads and the dragon's teeth snapped where we were just a minute ago…but too late: the Titans had scattered, taking on the last of the hybrids, whose attention was fixed to the twenty-foot-high jet of flames spearing out of the floor. 

The dragon roared, hissed, spat like an angry cat…

…A jab of black energy got him on the side of the head. Malchior turned, the fire dancing around his jaws…

…Raven crouched low, her fists wreathed in black energy, her eyes glowing white…

…I sent my power out…

…The dragon opened his mouth and sparks danced between his teeth…

…and got a mouthful of mutant giant moths.

_meat_

_food _

_heat_

"Eat_ this!_" I growled from behind him as he gagged and coughed and clawed at his throat, his flames dying from lack of air. 

_food _

The moths were works of _art_. Even after only a few glimpses of their minds and a few seconds of uncertainty in their bodies I knew that there was _nothing,_absolutely _nothing_ they couldn't bite through. Dragon scales? Piece of cake! 

The tender insides of Malchior's mouth were even easier. 

The dragon coughed blood and thrashed around like a fish out of the water. I gritted my teeth and kept the moths coming, even after the death of the first hundred or so. To the swarm a hundred moths was nothing. There were more where they'd come from. 

Malchior reared like a horse, his eyes focusing on me and there was a flash of understanding –what Beast Boy kept referring to as an _'aha!_ moment_'. _He raised his claws to swat me away like a fly and for a moment I experienced terror –I couldn't run, I couldn't hide: the dragon's life was being choked out of him, but his strength was undiminished…

Raven's blast hit him like a battering ram, pushing him against the remains of a wall, breaking his balance. The dragon fell over like one of the Twins: slowly and ponderously.

_Ouch._

I saw the big red eye, almost the size of my head blink once, dazed. 

Then Raven was on him, her power crackling 'round her fists as she raised her hand for the killing blow…

_No._

"_NO!"_

A single moth hit her and knocked her aside, straight onto Cyborg's arms. The black giant held on for dear life as Raven fought like a tiger to get loose.

"_**Let me GO, you idiot!"**_

"No!" I cried to Cyborg. "Don't let her go!"

"_**John, you son of a bitch!**_" Raven howled. "_**Don't let him get up!**_"

I turned to look at the downed dragon. He was struggling feebly now, choking on the moths I had rammed down his throat. 

"He's not going anywhere." I mumbled and pulled one of my knives. I walked up to Malchior and placed a hand on his neck. His skin was _burning _hot.

"Asphyxia is a nasty death." I mused. "Now, if I could only find the…_Ah!_"

My knife sliced through the dragon's trachea, narrowly missing the arteries; air found a way back to Malchior's lungs with a great gasp. 

"_**NO! What are you DOING?!**_"

Malchior was more or less knocked out. His eyes were bloodshot and unseeing. He still moved feebly though, his claws grating on the floor, his nostrils opening and closing.

He coughed once and a lot of moths tumbled out of his throat and hit Beast Boy, who retreated with a disgusted "_Ewwwww!_"

"_You spared me." _Malchior growled. _"It was a mistake."_

"_**I TOLD you!"**_It was more of a growl than words.

I shrugged. "We are the Titans, Raven. We don't kill."

Robin's mouth fell open.

"_How noble."_ Malchior tried to get back on his feet with little success. _"It is going to be your undoing."_

"He's got a big mouth for somebody who can barely stand." growled Cyborg, and morphed his hand into his sonic cannon. 

_Enough._

"Don't." I said. "It's not necessary."

I met Robin's eyes and nodded. "We're done here. Let's go."

Robin didn't move.

"He's still standing." he said, his eyes narrowed to slits.

"Not for long." I said, wearily. "Trust me on this. We're done here."

"_You are leaving, puny ones?" _There was surprise in Malchior's voice. _"Ah! I see. You must think that because you spared me, I will spare you."_

I turned and started walking away. It was safe to do so. I really doubted Malchior could spit fire with his tracheotomy in the way. After a moment or two, I heard the Titans following, Cyborg still dragging the struggling Raven with him.

"_We are not done here! Come back! I will rip your flesh from your bones!"_

_Pathetic._I almost felt sorry for him.

"_Raven! Do you hear me, bitch? I will kill you, I swear it upon Tiamat the dragon mother herself! Come back here and fight!"_

The answering growl from Raven was directed more to me than to Malchior.

"_**What do you think you're doing?! **_she screamed. _**"You're letting him get away like this?!**_"

"Try to calm down." I replied evenly and a little coldly. That 'son-of-a-bitch' crack she had made had _stung_. "He's in no state to go anywhere."

"_**He can HEAL, you idiot!"**_

"She has a point, Smith." Robin said. "I'd like an explanation, if you don't mind."

"Now, I _know_ that you're upset." I told Raven, still walking, and my voice was cold, "But I still resent that attitude. Why don't you trust me?"

She took a deep breath and seemed to deflate a bit. When she spoke, her voice was normal.

"Right._Now, _explain."

I sighed.

" '_Wherever be a dragon, there shall be no other; for the Gods have ordained that dragons hate each other with a loathing unequalled in nature and shall fight and kill each other wherever they meet. This hatred grows with age, so that a dragon brood shall not fight its own mother, but, when grown, shall devour her. Even so, the mother of a new-hatched brood must be wary not to bleed –for this will awake the blood thirst; it is not rare for a mother dragon, stricken down by a Knight of Honour to be eaten by her own hatchlings.' _" I droned. "Or something like that, anyway. Blaise's _'Corpus Supernaturale'._" I explained, meeting the Titans' puzzled gazes. "Third chapter:_'Dragones'._"

There was a puzzled silence.

"Ah." said Raven, finally. "I see." She gave something like a half-sigh and turned her face away. 

"Well I _don't._" grumbled Cyborg. "What was that about?"

_Jeez._

"Malchior is right now struggling to stay upright in a pool of his own blood." I explained. "Do you see now?"

"Uhhhh…no."

_Oh Christ. Do I have to spell it out?_

"What you have in there" I pointed over my shoulder "is a _wounded_ dragon, right in the middle of his hatchlings. Get it now?"

Cyborg's brow wrinkled for a moment. Then, his eyes grew wide. 

"Jesus!" he exclaimed, stopping dead. "You don't mean…?

In answer I grinned, toothily and snapped my jaws together a couple of times. "Oh _yes._" I replied. 

As if to confirm my answer, a scream rose from the ruined building behind us. It made my hair stand on end. Starfire gasped and turned, her eyes wide and suspiciously shiny and buried her head in Robin's chest. Bird Brain glared at me.

"Dude…" Beast Boy breathed.

"Serves him right." Raven hissed.

Cyborg didn't seem convinced. 

"But…_eaten?_ I mean, for God's sake…"

"I saved him once from asphyxia." I countered, coldly. "I didn't kill him –but I don't have to save him _again_."

"But..Beast Boy mused as we hobbled towards our wheels, leaning on Cyborg for support (a hybrid had scored a lucky blow in the last minutes) "…we'd pretty much trashed every hybrid in there. Do you think there'll be enough to take him out? He's pretty powerful, ya know."

"Oh, don't worry about _that._" I replied. "You know, them mutant moths can bite through _anything._ Metal, glass…life support tanks."

There was a horrified silence. 

"You let the _other _hybrids out?" Robin growled. 

I shrugged. 

"I think they're gonna wipe the floor with him." I said. 

"Pretty much, yeah." Robin hissed. "And then, they'll wipe the floor with everybody in this island!"

_Ah. Ooops._

"No they won't." Raven said wearily, dropping into the shotgun seat of the T-car with a sigh. "Malchior said that they would die very quickly without life support. Don't worry about them. _I_ refuse to, anyway. Let the Zandians deal with any strays. We've done our part."

She yawned and stretched, leaning back. She gave me a half-smile and then closed her eyes.

"Now it's time for a vacation. And don't even _think _about arguing, Robin."

* * *

_A/N:__ Err…hi!_

_I know, I know. I am so sorry for taking this long. Well, I was away from my PC. _

_We're pretty much done. One final chapter, Epilogue-ish. _

_**Saint H: **__Yep, pretty hardcore._

_**leyi666:**__ Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. _

_**VV: **__(bows deep) The FailedWriter's praise makes me blush. Still waiting for an update from you, though._

_**Xaleria/Zarola: **__(nasty grin) Nobody expected the dragon. Yay!_

_Cheers_

_-Phaethon, out._


	18. Epilogue: Sands of Zandia

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

I had forgotten how beautiful the beaches of Zandia were.

Beast Boy and Cyborg splashed in the shallows, the green elf turning into an elephant now and then, to spray his friend with a jet of water from his trunk. Starfire was building what seemed like a sand castle, in a grander scale than normal. Robin was sulking, ridiculous in his bathing shorts. Raven was reading _Corpus Supernaturale _with great enthusiasm under the shade of her huge dark blue umbrella.

I dove under the water and relaxed, feeling the quiet and peace wash away the stress of the past weeks.

_Ahhhhh. This is what I'm talking about. _

I broke through the surface and swam to the shore, feeling the sand crunch under my feet.

"You should go for a swim." I told Raven, scrubbing myself with one of our towels. "The water is great."

"Grmf."

"What was that?"

"Maybe later."

I smirked and leaned over her. A few drops of water fell from my hair to her stomach.

"_YOW!_ Bastard!"

I chuckled and tried to dodge the small magic blasts she blasted me with; no luck. The second one knocked me to my back.

I laughed and made to rise; Robin's head appeared upside-down over me. He was scowling.

_Great. Now what?_

"We need to talk, Smith."

"Can't it…? Oh, _fine!_" I got up, patted the sand away from my swimming shorts and followed him, a few feet away from the others.

"Well?" I asked him. "What is it now?"

He scowled.

"We had a vote." he replied.

"Who's 'we'?" I asked.

"We." he answered, gesturing towards the others. "We'd…well…"

I raised an eyebrow.

"It seems the majority votes that you become a Titan." Robin said quickly.

Silence.

"You're serious?" I asked, half-scowling.

"Yes."

I snorted.

"The majority." I sneered. "Let me guess. You voted 'no'."

Robin scowled.

"In fact, I didn't." he growled. "Against my better judgment, I _didn't_."

"Why?" I asked, surprised.

He shrugged. "You're good at what you do. And I figured, since you can't lick 'em, join 'em. Or have 'em join _you_."

I snorted. "How flattering. You know for a second there I was worried. I thought you _liked _me."

"Creepy."

"Yeah."

Silence.

"Yeah…well…" I muttered. "Who voted 'no'?"

Robin cocked his head to one side and half-smiled. "Raven, of course."

I could see that he had been building up to this. He had spat out these words as if they were supposed to cause me pain. He was probably expecting me to be stunned, then horrified, then angry.

Instead I turned to look at Raven and smiled.

"Good girl." I whispered.

"Huh?" Robin was baffled.

"She knew what I would say." I replied, turning back to him. "She knew I'd refuse anyway."

Robin scowled. "So, the fact that she doesn't _want _you to be a Titan; to be close to her; to live with her and fight at her side; you don't mind this at all?"

"No." I replied calmly. "She knew that, if I became a Titan, I wouldn't be _me _anymore. Don't you get it, Robin? You see the world in black and white; you don't accept anything in between. You don't accept grey."

I grinned at Raven again and, even though she couldn't hear what we were saying, she saw the smile and raised an eyebrow, in that particular way that meant 'I'd-smile-back-but-I-don't-_do_-smiles'.

"Both Raven and I are _grey_, Robin –OK, Raven's more white than black, I'll admit, but nobody's perfect." I grinned at his scowl. "And, Robin, _we're fine with it! _Get it?"

"You're hopeless." he answered, shrugging.

"On the contrary." I answered, walking away. "I'm full of hope."

Raven smirked when I sat next to her.

"He hates to have his offers shot down." she monotoned.

"Good." I replied, grinning. "I _love _doing things he hates."

Her smirk got wider. "You certainly messed him up this time." she said.

"Huh?" I asked, not quite following her.

"Oh, come on!" she slapped the back of my head. "Out of all the Titans, the one who stopped us from killing Malchior with our bare hands was _you. _You've _changed_ John, don't you see? Why, you even went through all of this mess and never _once_ thought about turning it to your advantage."

_That's what you THINK._

"Hmmmm…?" I mused, letting my gaze leave her eyes and travel…lower.

This time, her slap was a bit harder. "Pervert!"

"And proud of it." I countered and pecked her on the lips.

"John and Raven sitting on a tree! K-I-S-S-I…" came Beast Boy's cackle. Raven grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at him; he yelped and tried to get the grains off his hair. "Dude! My…hair…damn!"

"Maybe you haven't changed, when all's said and done." Raven growled with a twinkle in her eye.

_I don't think she'll like finding out I've got the genome synthesizer tucked safely away in my suitcase._

_What? That thing IS worth half a million bucks after all! You didn't expect me to leave it in Malchior's lair, did you?_

"You have _no _idea." I replied, grinning and bent over for another kiss.

_Teen Titans-The Wraith Chronicles_

_Part two-Wraiths and Hauntings_

_END_

* * *

_A/N:__ The End! (Whew!)_

_There IS going to be a third part (Memories and Nightmares), but right now, it's nothing more than some half-baked ideas. Suffice it to say, that it's gonna feature Slade (return of the revenge –with a vengeance!) and John Smith's only surviving relative. _

_(BTW, there's still a challenge: can you find out to what DC Hero or Villain JS is related? He or she is NOT one of the 'big' ones. Let me give you two hints: a)He or she is also an Illusionist b)use the Wikipedia)_

_Until I manage to get a scenario on the roll, I'll probably be trying out an Avatar: Airbender fic, that's been bouncing up and down in the back of my head for some time. But I'd like for the series to end first (grrrr…almost three months hiatus now!), just to get it 'in' canon. _

_Replies to comments are as follows:_

_**Reaver: **__Da loophole! Yep, it pretty much is the best weapon up any writer's sleeve. I'm glad you liked it! Still waiting for YOU to update, though…:-(_

_**Xaleria: **__lol. (Bows theatrically). I'm glad you enjoyed it and I'm flattered by your comments. Thank you, thank you, thank you. _

_**Kyle: **__Thanks! Like I said, I'm planning another one, but it'll take some time. _

_**VV:**__ I'm pretty much an atheist, so, as far as I'm concerned you can blaspheme away.__  
Awwww…don't cry!__  
Please?  
And it's quite easy to live without a computer of your own.You borrow other peoples' (evil grin!)  
I'm one for irony –haven't you figured it out yet?  
And this is my last update for a long time (bows head in shame). Sorry. Forgive me._

_Ciao, everybody! See you later!_

_Cheers  
-Phaethon, out._


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